Zootopia in Love
by Juindalo
Summary: It all begins with a no. Gazelle tragically loses her career and find peace with her biggest fan. Judy finds a mysterious child hiding at ZPD while emotions run high. Bellwether reconciles with her past and remembers the wisdom of her grandmother. Love comes in all shapes and sizes, and in Zootopia, it's no different.
1. Chapter 1: Voice of a Generation

Chapter 1: Voice of a Generation

Benjamin Clawhauser watched the clock intensely, wanting and willing time to move faster so he could clock out. Throughout the day, his impatience came out in nervous shortnesses as he spoke to his fellow law enforcement officers, engaging them with quick questions, and responding with brief answers. Conversations were easily forgotten as he was preoccupied, and even the taste of his favorite donuts weren't appealing to his sweet tooth. In all that, the fluffy cheetah watched the clock finally roll over to six. The night dispatcher came to relieve him of duty, and he took off to get ready for the night of his life. He had been to every concert Gazelle has ever performed in Zootopia, but tonight was very different. Tonight would change his life forever, or at least he thought so, as he kissed his backstage pass with a romantic infatuation. He giggled delightfully, eager to meet and speak with the superstar he idolized.

The hall of the recreation center boomed with activity. The crowd was still cheering around the fountain stage for several minutes after she performed her final song, the hit single 'Try Everything'. Gazelle expressed her sincerest love and thanks to her fans, wishing them all a good night. The rooms went by as Clawhauser followed the record company agent, growing ever more eager as he stepped closer and closer to his idol. The agent turned to a door on his right and knocked twice in quick succession.

"Miss Gazelle, the sweepstakes winner is here." The agent spoke closely into the door. It opened like it had been given a magic word, and the smile grew on Clawhauser's face from ear to ear. The agent ushered him inside, unbelieving that he was in the inner sanctum that was her dressing room. She stood there, in living fur, haloed in the lights of her mirror and framed by racks of costumes at either side. He was fixated on her, until he spotted a noticeably cool panther in a black suit standing just off her right shoulder. Gazelle and this panther looked at each other almost blankly, and something about it tripped a flag in Clawhauser's law enforcement instincts. His smile and face remained open and inviting, still waiting to hear his angel with horns speak. The panther turned towards the door and spoke only once before he left.

"Consider it." That was all. He walked out with the other agent, and the two were alone at last. The expression on her face took a moment to catch up to what was happening. She glanced at him, and her performance began.

"Hi!" She joyously greeted him. "You are the contest winner?"

"Uh-huh yep, that's uhh... me!" Clawhauser giggled out. Gazelle pulled up her chair from the mirror.

"Mind if I sit? I've been on my hooves for hours, may I get you a chair?"

"I don't mind standing I sat all day waiting for this and O... M... Goodness tonight was your best show ever and I have to say I'm your biggest fan and I have all of your posters and figurines and the app for my phone here look I really do have them all!"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, slow down! There's no need to rush. What's your name?" He took a deep breath like it would keep him from exploding.

"Clawhauser, Benjamin Clawhauser!"

"Well Benjamin, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Her accent as she spoke his name melted his heart.

"I think I might need a chair after all." He turned around and grabbed a stacking chair from the corner, sat on it backwards, and rested his fluffy face on his paws like a child in complete admiration. That flag went up again. The look on her face was sullen and troubled like someone stole her teddy bear. This snapped Clawhauser out of his fan-fueled hysteria and grounded him with a thread of reality.

"Is-is everything alright? I'm an officer of the law and I can tell when something is up and down. I see it all day long." Gazelle stopped the charade. She slumped in her chair, hung her head, and rubbed something from her eye. She came clean to expose the subject that bothered her.

"The record label wants to change my image, my message, everything, and I don't like it! It's not me anymore! They want me to be some sort of... object! It's terrible! It's just not what I stand for!" Clawhauser knew it was wrong as well. He's adored the singer for years, and she has never stood for anything that would be damaging to her integrity, quite the opposite in fact. Clawhauser shared his thoughts with her.

"You're amazing just the way you are! Why change anything? Couldn't you just say no?" Gazelle looked up through the part in her hair at him.

"The record label has so much power over my life and what I do… and they know things. It seems like I do a lot on my own but it's often not without my agent telling me it's OK, or telling me what to do altogether. I can sing, I love to sing, but sometimes keeping up the performance is too much." Clawhauser saw what was happening.

"It's a delicate situation, isn't it?" She gave him a caring smile, she knew he understood and found solace in his caring company.

"It is, I could be on the streets in a week if I'm not careful. I don't know what I would do, I would die."

"Can you talk to your people, perhaps come up with a compromise?" She smiled happily at him, he smiled back and she gave him a hopeful look. It always made him happy when she lights up, but this was the genuine uplifting that she desperately needed.

"I will try everything." She stated.

"That's the spirit, and who knows, things might work out for the better." She stood up and towered several feet over the short and stout cheetah. She knelt down and gave him a big hug. Clawhauser's heart rushed and he slowly moved his hands around her as well in return. There was a knock at the door and he was out of time.

"You've been a great help, Benjamin." She melted his heart just a little more.

"Protect and serve and all that. Gazelle, I'm your biggest fan, pun totally intended! I'll love you no matter what happens. I really mean that!" The hug tightened briefly then released just as the door opened. The agent that led Clawhauser into the room had come to lead him out. "I work dispatch at the Zootopia Police Department precinct one, maybe I'll see you around sometime?" He added as he headed for the door. She smiled and blew a kiss to the endearing cheetah. The agent left with him and she was alone for the moment. She turned and plunked down at her vanity and stared closely into her own eyes in the mirror. Gravity from the situation settled upon her. She was afraid and completely vulnerable to the record company's will and the people of stature that controlled her. With a gaze into the mirror, she pondered to herself what her soul was worth.

The elevator doors parted with a welcoming ding, signaling that Gazelle had arrived at the penthouse of her agent. Marble floor to glossed ceiling, and what only appeared as gold trimmed walls with fine art and an array of golden records, all spread out before her. The patio doors were opened for her as she apprehensively stepped forward and out to the private pool and met with her agent, Mr. Night. Gazelle twiddled her fingers, and couldn't predict how this meeting with Mr. Night would result. Normally he told her what to do, and she trusted his judgements and guidance. Now she would attempt to defy him and stand her ground.

"Don't be nervous." The panther cooed. "Nothing to fret about, Gazelle. This is just a simple meeting for you to see the direction the company wants your career to go in." He produced a binder from beneath his arm and handed it to her. With a puzzled glance, she took it and flipped it open to the first page. "These are some of the new concepts for branding, clothing, costuming, and media. We would like to have a photoshoot as soon as possible." She looked at the clothing, or lack thereof. The first page exhibited a stylized drawing of herself, and she immediately felt embarrassed how anyone could depict her in such scandalous attire. There was no need to see the rest of the binder's contents. She kept to her integrity and looked Mr. Night right in the eye.

"No." She announced. The panther didn't react but replied to her protest in a calm calculated tone as if he had been expecting it.

"If you want to continue your career with us, you will realize you don't have a choice in the matter." He was being just as strong in his demand. She said nothing else and stood her ground. The panther went on. "The social media analytics came to a fascinating conclusion. Your audience is largely made of a mature age set, about sixty-five percent to be specific. Having a more adult theme, a more adult image would boost your popularity ten-fold." She couldn't hold her tongue any longer.

"This is what you want? Put me on like some doll, some kind of... It's inappropriate! I won't have it, I'm not doing it! It's not me!" She huffed thinking frantically what to say next. Mr. Night looked at her as if he was trying to anticipate her next sentence.

"It's time we cut the kiddy stuff and move forward to what your loving audience wants. They want to see more of-"

"More of my body!? This will tarnish my name for years if I did this."

"Let me remind you again that you have no choice. I made you, and I can take it all away if I wanted. You can go back to singing on the corner for change if you so chose, but this is what your audience wants." He let the conversation pause for a breath. "Gazelle, it would be a shame if the police knew that you are here illegally." A ding at the elevator sounded. She looked to see that it was just the pool boy with a cart of supplies coming to work on the pool's chemistry. The young beaver had his earphones in, likely listening to her latest single for himself. It distracted her long enough to think of something strong to say.

"No! I won't let you threaten me with that! It doesn't matter anymore, no one cares! I know how this game works. As long as I can sing, I am priceless. I will continue to be myself and not one of your dancing puppets. There is no shame in that, unlike your new branding ideas!" She tossed the binder at him then started stepping backward to leave.

"Gazelle-" Mr. Night called to her as she backed up.

"You may think you have all of the power-"

"Gazelle!" He called again.

"-but as long as I have a voice-" Her heel caught an edge of something solid. The beaver hadn't been paying attention and neither had she. The cart stole her footing and she began to topple backward, and unable to stop her momentum. Her mind panicked and she reached for Mr. Night just out of her grasp, and instead grabbed the handle of the cart. She went down, pulling the cart over with her with the supply of pool chemicals. She clenched her eyes and braced for the inevitable impact. The hard concrete surface knocked the wind out of her as powdered chlorine spilled around her, creating a dense white cloud. She kept her eyes shut but gasped desperately for air. Her next breath was that of fire, dry and bolting down her long neck like a hot poker. She scrambled out of the mess and tried to breathe fresh air. A little at first, the air that came to her felt like ice on her burning throat, then the air came less and less.

Her nose and mouth were beginning to sting and she leaped for the pool, coming up short, and only managing to dunk her head and cooling the stinging in her mouth. She attempted to drink the pool water but nothing would go down. She quickly pulled her head out and wheezed a shrill noise of pain. Panic gripping tight, she clenched at her throat as it swelled and collapsed in on her. Mr. Night had already been on the phone as the beaver pulled her from the edge of the pool.

"You have to calm down! Just try to breathe!" The beaver told her. Her predicament became dire and the beaver was beginning to freak out. "Oh geez, I'm so sorry! I'm so-" Her lips were numb and blue, paws tingling, and stars appeared in her vision. She felt like a few minutes might have gone by as she looked up to a blurry figure. She thought it might have been a paramedic, she couldn't make the distinction. The color of the world had faded, the sound of voices distant, and after another moment of insensibility, she was unconscious.

Mr. Night approached the doctor as he checked on Gazelle in the emergency room. With a blank and stoic expression, he met with the doctor to ask about her.

"How is she?" The doctor lowered his head to the chart on the clipboard in his paws. He spoke in a collected manner, both from practice and having to deliver this kind of news over his years in his field.

"She'll live. Though if it wasn't for an emergency tracheotomy, she would have suffocated. Her throat was closing up and there are burns throughout, but her larynx received the most damage. The chlorine powder caused it to blister severely. We have her on anti-inflammatories for pain and swelling, and steroids to help the healing process. With some treatment, she will make a full recovery from the burns, but the damage to her larynx… she may never speak again." Mr. Night couldn't remain cool any longer and let his hard exterior wrinkle with anger. He looked to the floor and felt terrible, not for Gazelle, but for the business of keeping her talent. Mr. Night regarded Gazelle's words and wasn't sure if she came out victorious from their disagreement. He couldn't control her if she couldn't perform. This misfortune will change her life forever, and certainly, her super-stardom was over at that very moment, Mr. Night would make sure of it.

"Sir," a security guard called. The doctor and the panther looked to him walking toward them just down the hall. "The press got word of the incident. They don't know what exactly happened but they are looking for a statement from you." The panther looked hesitantly to the doctor, to Gazelle through the window in her intubated state, and made his exit to greet the press outside.

"What are you going to say?" The doctor called out. Mr. Night said nothing to him, adjusted his cufflinks, and opened the door to the rambunctious and curious crowd of news reporters. He took a moment to take it all in, then raised the palms of his paws to calm the eager crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you have many questions but let me start by saying Gazelle is alright. She merely stumbled by the pool and will be out of the hospital with a clean bill of health in no time at all. There is no need to worry about Zootopia's star, accidents happen. No further comments." The panther displayed a professional and dismissing smile and turned back inside. The doctor had been behind the scene, and heard everything. He stepped up to the walking panther to speak his mind.

"That was a lie."

"That was planning for the future." The doctor stopped and let the panther move on, dumbfounded by the scheme he witnessed. He didn't know what was about to happen but he feared for Gazelle.

Gazelle was finally home in her luxurious penthouse suite at the top of the Palm Hotel where there were no doctors or beeping machines to bother her. She sat staring into her vanity mirror and seeing her tired eyes staring back, then she tried her daily warm-up scales. Her throat stung as she attempted to sing the notes, and the air was filled with only a thin strained high screech like a dying animal, followed by voiceless breath. Her throat remained tight, and her vocal range critically limited to painful squeaks. Her effort immediately required a drink of water, and she nearly choked on it as she swallowed with difficulty. She assuredly thought the record company would help with her recovery and she could return to the stage to entertain her fans, to sing beautiful music again.

A knock came from the door, and she answered it with another wordless hurting squeak. The bodyguard was a wolf, one she hasn't seen before. He didn't look her in the eyes, but instead hung his head like he was in shame. He held a letter out to her. Gazelle took it from his shaky paw, then he dropped something else. Before she could figure out what was happening, the wolf ran off. He left behind a short straw, and Gazelle was overcome with a terrible feeling. She took the letter into her room and read it, seeing that her contract had been terminated and she was to return all company property. She knew what it meant, and she knew she'd be on her own very, very soon. It wasn't fair, she thought they loved her, but to them, she was just a product, a fad, nothing any more special than the previous or the next. Rage filled her, feeling disappointed and cheated, discarded and betrayed, and with all her emotions on fire, she stood and threw the stool into her vanity, shattering the mirror in a sharp crash and scattering her beauty products everywhere. She fell to the floor and screamed a savage cry in silence as she couldn't make a sound to express her devastation. Her heart broke into pieces far worse than the mirror. She huddled in on herself, rocking back and forth with her paws gripping her eyes tight while her nerves shook, and a severe fear taking residence in the hole left in her heart.

Three weeks had passed since the loss of her voice. Guitar music washed over the patio of the small cafe on the busy street corner. Cars of all shapes and sizes rushed to and fro, too quickly for them to hear the soothing melody. Its notes lulled the patrons of the cafe, and they tossed coins and sometimes dollar bills into the open guitar case at her shoeless hooves. Gazelle wished she could sing along so badly that sometimes her lips moved instinctively on their own, but no words ever escaped them.

She plucked the melody on her guitar, the same guitar that she started out with some years ago. Feeling it in her paws, it took her mind back to a time before she got swept up in the spotlight. Her personality was the same back then, she was mettled for performing all so well, but her accident damaged an elemental part of her, it shook her confidence and she felt minuscule in the tall city around her. The sky was growing overcast as the winds picked up for an afternoon rain shower, and defiantly she would play as long as she could, letting her fingers speak the lyrics that she could no longer let ring. Still reminiscing, she remembered working as a waitress at Bug Burga, and earning her way before the record company scouted her. Memories were all she had now, only providing a faint comfort, a subtle joy that it all happened, but the agony of losing it all was far greater.

The rain was dripping in and she had to pack up. She bowed to the patrons of the cafe without any applause to her, all too busy with their own phones, lunch, or obliviousness. She walked to her car, opened the trunk, and unenthusiastically set her guitar in the compartment next to the old and faded picket signs from long forgotten protests.

She once stood with predators, arms linked, and screamed with the determination and resilience against mandatory shock-collars for all predators. She fought for what was right, always has, and never forgot how unfair people can be. She gave predators a chance on the stage as dancers to show her support against the persecutions that once came their way. It was an unrestful time but the world was ever-changing, and this time it had changed right out from beneath her hooves. The car itself was hers, a piece of history before she was a star. It was a monument to her independence, and now it was everything she had. There was a lot of history in this car with its spots of rust and small dents from the careless, only now she has become a part of it. She lost everything else. The costumes, the shoes, her home and the luxuries she had grown accustomed to, it all belonged to the record company and they took it all away. She didn't fight them, she went quietly and made sure she could still get her old stuff back. She made sure to apologize for the mirror by simply leaving a note.

Closing the trunk, she checked the meter, expired. She glanced wide-eyed to the windshield and a ticket was stuck in the wiper. She didn't need this, not now and really not ever. She took a breath and looked at the charge on the back. Her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach when she read the eighty dollars that needed to be paid, to which she couldn't afford the ticket, but couldn't afford the trouble far more than the ticket. She couldn't spare any chances of getting arrested, no one was around to protect her.

She opened the door and flipped open the glove compartment. She counted out how much money she had starting with the organized bills and moving down to the change separated in sandwich bags. She counted out the bills and quarters to get seventy dollars. Hoping she had made at least ten more a moment ago in the cafe. She will have to take care of the ticket, and then figure out what to eat for dinner.

"Hey Clawhauser," Chief Bogo called, "have you checked out the latest app?"

"Nah." Clawhauser muttered. He was too busy listening to the topic of the news on his own phone.

"You're missing out! It's great! See!" Clawhauser peeked at the screen the chief had put in his face. It was Bogo's head on a backup dancer for the new pop star that had risen out of Gazelle's ashes. A rhythm and bass singer by the name of Deebra was climbing in the charts as Gazelle's music had faded into obscurity. "Ho ho! Check me out! I look good!" He announced as he posed as Odysseus holding a spear. "Maybe I should work out more..." He mentioned to himself as he took his attention elsewhere. Clawhauser turned the volume up on his phone to drown out the idle workings of the office. The news anchor pitched the latest developing story.

"Gazelle's fall from stardom has shocked Zootopia. The pop idol has had some kind of breakdown, saying on her Twitter that she never liked the fans, but loved the money. Many more tweets throughout the week have colored the icon to be intolerant to-" Clawhauser closed his phone and sighed.

"I don't believe that for a second." He shuffled some papers into order as someone walked in the door. "Welcome to ZPD, how may I help-" He stopped mid-sentence. He had to rub his eyes to look again, he couldn't believe who had just walked in. "Gazelle?" Indeed it was her, though he almost didn't recognize her. Her plain buttoned shirt and long black skirt was off-putting for her usually vibrant personality, and the lack of her vibrancy was evident. The rain had dappled her shoulders and dampened her curly hair, flattening it and splitting its ends to take all of the style out of it. Her face looked as if she hadn't slept in days, or smiled in weeks. She meekly held an old purse in her paws and peered down at officer Clawhauser sitting at the desk before her. He sat up straighter in his chair and with his mind reeling with questions, he started with this one.

"What happened?" He asked. "The news said you had some sort of meltdown." She had an angered look in her eye that startled Clawhauser. She stood up straight and pointed to her neck. She tried to speak but all that she could produce was a strained squeak. Her expression was harsh, but a moment of silence from Clawhauser softened her demeanor. He felt immediately sympathetic.

"Oh no… You lost your voice..." There was a nod from Gazelle then more sad silence. A bright idea flashed into Clawhauser's mind. "Hey I know, do you have your phone? Text me! My number is, local area code, 555 - DNUT." She broke into a smile, delighted in his idea as well as the tactful phone number. She flipped the bottom flap of her purse and lifted her phone from it. As she typed in the number, a spot on her neck between her shoulders was illuminated. Clawhauser noticed. "What's that at the bottom of your neck, right here." He pointed on himself at the dimple at the top of his sternum. She touched the scar herself and began typing on her phone. In a brief second, his phone chimed with the incoming message.

"It's a scar. I couldn't breathe." Clawhauser's jaw dropped in shock.

"Is that how you lost your voice?" She began clicking away on her phone, Clawhauser looked to his phone, eager to know.

"Doctors put a tube there so I could live. I accidently fell into pool powder. It burned me." He was mortified with the news. She continued to type to him. "BTW I told them no." Clawhauser had to think for a moment but he did remember.

"That's right, at your concert, how could I forget. I'm glad you said no."

"It was the last thing I said." Her text read. "I wish I just said yes like they wanted. I would still be able to sing." Clawhauser looked up from his screen. The defeated Gazelle towering before him, once larger than life, now was smaller than a mouse. He looked at the scar again.

"The scar looks kinda like a heart." He smiled, then almost immediately regretted it. He awaited some backlash in text-form on his phone.

"It really does." Clawhauser sighed and took a deep sympathetic sigh for her.

"You're still all over the news, y'know? Not nice things are being said about you. I'm afraid someone will try to hurt you. The things you said on Twitter-" A text came in on his phone.

"Company owns my social media." She sniffed in once, not sure if she was going to cry or not. She remained strong, anger fading away and leaving the aftermath that sadness often occupied.

"Ah, I knew it wasn't you. You're a good person, and I still love you." She replied on her phone.

"Why?" Clawhauser thought for only a heartbeat then replied.

"That's easy, I love your music!" She rolled her eyes and blew her tangling hair from her face. "That's not all," He went on, "I've lived here a long time, and I also worked at the Bug Burga with you before you got your big break. Oh, how I admired you. Though back then I was a few donuts lighter, you'd never go for a guy like me, so I left you alone. A couple times on the streets, I have seen you play, and one time I dumped the contents of my wallet into your guitar case, but also you were arrested during the collar protests, and I spent my culinary school fund to bail you out." Clawhauser had a look of disappointment for a brief second before continuing. "So glad the Tame Collar Mandate never went through, I have enough trouble with the collar on my uniform!" She was speechless. He knew more about her than the typical fan. He wasn't vain about her, he respected her. "You've always had a big heart full of goodness, I've always seen it, and that's why I'll love you no matter what happens." For a moment, she stood like a statue clutching her phone and purse. The words lingered in her mind like echoes in a hall and sunk in. She clicked letters on her phone for him.

"Thank you. I needed that." It read. He smiled at her lovingly and she steadied her resolve. She continued typing. "I can get my old job back."

"That's the spirit! And never forget you still have a fan here at ZPD." He stated cheerfully. Her mind eased, she was now an optimistic Gazelle, one with hope in her heart, and her soul back in her eyes. "Say, I still have a job to do here. If you want to hang out for a moment, I need to file these records piling up here." He tapped the ordered folders with a claw. She nodded and took a seat on a bench while Clawhauser went elsewhere to complete his task. She had a moment to think, and thought that she could perhaps get a warm meal out of his kindness, but it wasn't a nice thing to do. Like she had before, she stuck to her integrity. She couldn't take advantage of the sweet cheetah like that, and with some effort, a job could be right around the corner and all would be ok. She sighed to herself, dismissed the terrible idea, and decided to move on. Gazelle paid the ticket with what she had in her purse and left the department without saying or texting goodbye to Clawhauser. She still had a job to do herself, she had to find dinner on her own.

The calendar flipped over to another month with seventy-one squares crossed out since the big red sad face was drawn on the day she lost everything. The dull fluorescent lighting illuminated the sleepy convenience store in the evening, with no one but the clerk and Gazelle inside. She placed a banana-nut muffin and a bottle of apple juice on the counter and started dumping change out of her aged and worn purse. The vinyl cracked as she shook it and the coins spilled in disorder before the cash register. The clerk scanned the barcodes and totaled her amount.

"Five thirty-five." She startled and looked in the small tray that often had pennies, which had just that in it. Disappointed, she sat the apple juice aside, now knowing that such luxuries were no longer something she could desire. She recounted the change for the muffin, paid, took the receipt, and bumped the door open with her hip as her paws began to unravel the muffin from its paper baking cup. She took a bite and closed her mouth around the bread of it when she stopped dead in her tracks. Clawhauser stopped as well exiting his car, and they both froze, astounded to see each other again. He stepped up to her without a word, letting the evening breeze and the hum of the old fluorescent sign hold the silence.

"Ga-" Was the only sound he could make. He looked her over, noting her longer unkempt tangled hair, and the luster of her personality lost as if she was a dusted portrait. Her jeans ripped with fibrous scratches and tears from constant wear, the lowest parts of the pants legs fading into light tones of dirt. The unbecoming gray shirt that loosely adorned her upper body was frayed around the edges and a sizable red stain splashed upwards on her right side. Someone had the mind to throw their drink at her, made her a victim of lies. Everything about her told of a struggle, she had the look of survival which never was a pretty sight. "Where have you been?" He asked. She didn't respond, she chewed the bite of her muffin and went over to her own car parked across the small parking lot from the convenience store. She opened the passenger door and pulled a nearly empty bottle of water from a plastic bag on the floor. Clawhauser had followed her.

She sat in the seat with her legs and head facing out of the car so she could listen to him. He looked past her and saw the dismal contents of the vehicle. In the cup holder was a plastic cup with a well-used toothbrush jutting out of it, a plastic shopping bag full of glass bottles and aluminum cans, and a short stack of forms with writing across them that he gathered were job applications. From the presence of a similar stack on the floor with the bag of cans, she wasn't having much luck finding work. He never would have thought that not being able to speak would impair her ability in the many facets of the job market.

"I texted you for a while to see how you were doing but it kept saying the messages weren't going through. I worried something might have happened to you, something bad." She sighed and ate her muffin, trying to savor the last meal of her day before curling up in the backseat to sleep. She made a phone gesture with her thumb and pinky to her ear, then extended her paw out and rubbed her fingers together to sign the commonly known gesture for money. "You sold it?" He realized. "That's ok, I'll buy you a new one tomorrow. I'll even put you on my family plan, it's just me and my Mama anyway." If Clawhauser's heart wasn't already a lead weight in his chest, it was now, and he couldn't believe how outcast and disconnected she had become. All this to save her integrity and dignity, was this any better? Last time they spoke, she was more optimistic about finding work and getting back on her hooves. Now she was knocking on the cold impenetrable surface of rock bottom. She was a million miles away in her head, beaten by the company that provided everything she ever dreamed of, and then took it away like the sadistic entity it was, and they never cared, never looked back. They didn't love her anymore, no one did, except Clawhauser. "Hey uh… I can't bear to see you like this. Gather your things, you're staying at my place tonight." She swallowed the last bite of the banana-nut muffin and some of the weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was strong enough to last this long on her own, but now she couldn't refuse such an offer, it was just what she needed. She stood up and gave him a big hug, and wholly appreciated him. "Hey now, it's ok. I'll cook you a warm meal, and I'll even sleep on the couch."

Unlocking the door to his second-floor apartment, he opened it up to a dark living room with an attached kitchen and bedroom. Clawhauser pulled her suitcase in, sat it aside, and helped Gazelle with her guitar. She walked into the room with a second suitcase and sat it with the other one. She stood for a moment while Clawhauser searched out for the light switch.

"Tadaaa! My castle is your castle! Make yourself at home!" The light came on and he went to the bedroom to change into his evening clothes. On three whole walls, Gazelle posters covered them from floor to ceiling, or at least where space was available. There were lamp tables and a bookshelf with miniatures, figurines, collectibles, coffee mugs, T-Shirts, and photographs in picture frames, all products of her former career. She took in the room, noticing that he had a poster for every concert she ever had, even some rolled up and stuffed behind his sofa, which had a little stuffed Gazelle plushie sitting in its corner. Peering higher with awe, she read the posters from various times in the past years.

"A voice of a generation!" One old poster read, with her sitting with the same guitar that was there in the room with her. She looked at another.

"A sensational singer!" She was posing in this one, stretched out with a microphone in her paw like she could touch the very heavens themselves. She turned about-faced behind her to another.

"Hear her ROAR!" In large wild letters, posed with the tigers that made up her dance team. Her head spun, it was all right here, all of it, and she in that moment had her heart shattered by these remnants. Gazelle dropped to her knees in the center of this history museum. She couldn't hold it in anymore, and the final straw broke her. She curled down with her long neck and rained tears into her paws. She covered her face and sobbed deeply, body heaving, breath short between lurches. Clawhauser came into the room wearing a blue shirt and gray shorts, and wasn't expecting to see Gazelle in a puddle on the floor, erupting with grief as she truly began to mourn. His own jaw quivered at the realization. The unfathomable loss of one's dreams wasn't something anyone should ever witness, and here he was in her cell of anguish.

Clawhauser did the only thing he could do. He grabbed a big trash bag and shook it open with a violent whip of his arms. Starting with the bookshelf, he swept the figures and mugs into the bag. They clamored against the floor, against each other, some breaking as they collided. He tossed the plushie in and started on the posters, clawing them from the surfaces with an uncaring shred. Ripping down one after another, he exposed the yellow and taupe striped wallpaper forgotten beneath. He stuffed it all in the black trash bag with an angry haste as if it would take away all of her sadness. Lastly, he crumpled up the rolled posters and stuffed them just in the top of the nearly bursting bag. He looked to Gazelle, her hands parting from her face and seeing the room flayed of its skin to show a warm new pattern. The posters left slightly discolored squares in the wallpaper, just ghosts of something once there. Clawhauser looked at the room again, facing from Gazelle to survey his damage. He let go of the bag and let it settle in a slump on the floor.

"Oh, one more thing…" He added, pulling his phone from his pocket and thumbing it to the Gazelle app. "Delete!" He announced. That was all, it was all gone now. He heard a shuffling of knees on the floor and felt her arms come around him. Hugging him at his own height, she wrapped herself into his fluffy neck and nuzzled her nose into his cheek. He looked over his shoulder, seeing her beautiful earthen eyes seeing back at him. She tried to speak, but all she arrived at was a strained chirp, a broken note that could've meant anything. She pulled his head around, and placed her soft lips on his, and embraced him in a kiss that ignited his embering heart into living flame. She never wanted to leave this moment, caressing his lips as he reciprocated with his own. The sparks flew and he melted onto the floor, lying on it like lying on a cloud. He oohed and sighed with rapture, and she laid down next to him, closing any distance between them, and pressed cheeks. Her arms around him, he turned his head to her and met her eyes. "You're my angel with horns, and I'll love you no matter what happens." He professed. She closed her weary eyes and held tighter.

She would have to get her new phone tomorrow just to say she loved him too.


	2. Chapter 2: Cottonhead

Chapter 2: Cottonhead

"HOOOOOOPPS!" Bogo roared.

Judy stood in the chief's office drowning in nervous anticipation. She knew what she had done, regretted every second of it, and wished she had never made such a rash decision. She stood at attention, palms sweating as Bogo kept her waiting while he looked through a file, scouring it with his reading glasses balanced on his nose. She wanted to burst out and apologize for the mistake but he had ordered her to stay in silence as he sorted out the matter.

"Hopps…" He spoke to her finally, and removed his glasses from his nose, folding them neatly and placing them carefully into his shirt pocket. "You disappoint me. Not only that, you really, really messed up." As much as she wanted to stand with dignity, she couldn't.

"Sir, I can explain-"

"No need to, I've pulled the security camera footage and watched it for myself, just to make sure that when I SUSPEND you, I can file the paperwork quicker!" Judy took that bit of news like an arrow to her heart. She remained a statue even though her emotional bunny instincts nearly overcame her, she wanted to emote the frustration she had for herself. "Let's review the video."

Bogo flipped his computer monitor around and clicked it to play. Judy saw herself on the video and felt embarrassed for what she knew was about to happen. She and Nick had stopped to grab lunch at Bridgette's Breads, and upon exiting, the shop owner next door yelled 'Hey!' to a deer that had run off in a hurry. Judy assumed a robbery had happened and pursued, catching up to the guy and zapping him with her stunner. The shop owner caught up to them only to give him his change for the birthday cake he purchased. He was in a hurry because he was late, and was made even later since she had mistakenly stunned him to the ground. Judy was thoroughly humiliated. Even Nick, at the time, had exclaimed at her for her poor judgment.

"It won't happen again." She said to the chief, nearly whispering as the shame sunk in. She hung her head to the floor when Bogo pounded on the desk.

"It won't EVER happen again!" He closed the folder and set it aside. "ZPD made an official apology to the victim and his family. I'm seeing to it personally that there is disciplinary action for this violation of professional discretion. Starting now, you are suspended from active duty."

"For how long, sir?" Judy asked with what little dignity remained.

"Two weeks. Give me your stunner." She took it from her holster and sat it on the desk, then turned to leave.

"Call me if you need anything." She told him.

"You're not going far, the floors around here need a good mopping and the bathrooms are atrocious. I hope you'll learn to responsibly assess a situation before you zap the taxpayers that paid for those stunners! You are dismissed."

Judy left the office, seeing that Nick had patiently waited for her to be released from Bogo's clutches.

"How bad is it?" He asked as Judy walked on by. He caught up to the foolish bunny wanting an answer.

"Active duty suspension. I gotta scrub toilets and mop floors for two weeks." Nick's eyes widened in realization. "What?" Judy pondered at his reaction.

"Oh no, you know what this means? I'm going to get stuck with Fangmeyer!" Judy wasn't making the connection.

"So?"

"So remember I mentioned a rumor that Fangmeyer has a crush on someone? What if I'm the crush!?" If she wasn't aggravated by the day so far, she would have laughed, but instead, she thought a little spite wouldn't hurt.

"I think he's married, Nick." She rolled her eyes and rubbed her neck at the silly fox. She walked away without another word and passed Fangmeyer. Nick said hi to him with a big grin and the large tiger ruffled the little fox's head fur with a big paw.

Judy went to her desk first to compose her thoughts, and that's when she had noticed there was a letter for her on the desk. It was addressed from the prison. She opened it with a carrot shaped letter opener and read the envelope's contents.

"Dear Judy, I've enrolled myself in the prison's therapy program. I wanted to write to you because I need you as a role model. My time in here has snuffed my anger, and the days are short and tedious now. I want to ask just one thing of you, how do you stay so strong against everything? Muttonchops, Dawn Bellwether."

She couldn't believe that she wrote, and her question was unanswerable at the moment. Her head was still spinning with emotion from the recent events. She would have to think about it, even though she wanted to write something about a good diet and exercise, it might be better to take this letter a little more seriously, not that she owed the scheming sheep anything. She sighed and tucked the letter back into its envelope. She pushed out from her desk and went downstairs to the cleaning supplies closet to grab the mop.

It took almost an hour for Judy to mop the entire main hall of ZPD. She had to admit, the floor gleamed from her hard work, but eight o'clock was still a hope and a dream in the distance, she still had much work to do in the bathrooms.

She cringed as she opened the men's bathroom and put a cleaning sign in the door. She couldn't imagine how anyone could let it come to such a condition. The frequented sections of the floor was discolored from the dirt of various mammal's feet and the sinks were needing a shine from the built-up soap scum and grime. She got to work and scrubbed the countertops, sinks, even the toilets with a brush almost the same size as her. She had a certain apprehension for oversized toilets, remembering the days at the police academy, and remembering how much harder everyone had been on her. She felt diminished again, nothing but a token bunny or less, knowing well that her talents were being wasted with remedial janitorial duties. Perhaps this is why Bellwether wrote to her, maybe they were both underdogs.

"I should be out there," She whispered to herself. She looked at her reflection on the water in the porcelain bowl. "not in here. There are no cases in here, no bad guys, no crime-" she moved over to another stall to continue her work. "-except when people forget to flush, ugh!" Promptly she took care of it. Judy finished up and mopped the floor clean, and kept onward.

She pushed the cleaning cart into the ladies bathroom one door over. Halfway in, a loose paper towel snagged into a wheel, causing the cart to stop abruptly and a few things jumped from the cart to scatter onto the floor. Judy sighed and shook her head, almost expecting that nothing more could happen to make her day any worse. She picked up the fallen toilet brush and went to grab a can of sanitizer that had rolled beneath the sink.

Judy froze when she saw her. In the shadows, beneath the sink and countertop, there was a little white bunny girl, huddled in on herself, rubbing her eye as if she had been sleeping.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" Judy asked. The little bunny didn't reply but looked at her with soulful albino eyes, ones that expressed sorrow. Judy reached beneath the sink and touched her shoulder. The girl's face unraveled its tension and she gripped Judy's paw as if she trusted her, perhaps because she was a rabbit herself. She appeared to be very frightened. "It's ok, I won't hurt you. What's your name?" The little bunny didn't answer.

She crawled out and hugged into Judy's shoulder, holding onto her arm and seeking comfort from her immediately. This misplaced girl had long ears that flopped down, partially covering a faded green shirt and a dull orange skirt. She trembled and held onto Judy so tight it almost hurt. "It's ok, you're safe with me. Let's go find your parents." Judy stood up as she held the little girl's paw tightly, abandoning her post as a janitor and walking with the girl out to see Clawhauser.

The jubilant cheetah sat at the front desk where he usually is. Judy looked around for a moment and saw no possible matching rabbits that could've been her parents, in fact there were no rabbits present but themselves. It began to concern Judy and she asked.

"Hey Clawhauser, did you see this little one come in?" He had to rip himself away from his phone mid-text, probably talking to Gazelle.

"Yes, she came in early this morning. I thought she left!" Judy was surprised, had she been hiding in the bathroom all day? What was she hiding from?

"I just found her in the ladies room under the sink." Clawhauser was shocked when he heard this.

"Goodness! Where are her parents?" He asked, leaning over the front of the receptions desk and looking down at her. The little bunny hid behind Judy from him. "Shy little dickens, isn't she?"

"I'd say so. She won't tell me her name."

"Yeah, no one knows her real name. She's come in before, and I don't know who said it first, but she's been nicknamed 'Cottonhead'. We keep asking her questions and she never answers, then someone remarked that she might have cotton in her ears, and the name stuck. Until we get more info, we can't do much for her. We have an APB out if anyone has any information." Clawhauser shrugged and went back to texting on his phone.

"What do we know about her? Does she have a file?" He shrugged again with his phone in his paws, thumbs fluttering about on the little screen, ticking away at letters and words.

"Nope, this isn't a case yet, too little to go on at the moment." Judy's heart skipped. This little girl was in need of something, otherwise she wouldn't have come to the police department. Something was missing from the situation and Judy needed to figure out what that was to start this case then crack it. Judy knelt down and looked the shy little girl in the eye sincerely.

"Cottonhead, I promise I will help you. If you need to stay around for a while, there's a break room just over there." Judy pointed to the hall where the bullpen was also located. "I just-" The girl darted off out the main door. "Hey wait!" Judy called but before she could even respond, Cottonhead had disappeared. Clawhauser shook his head.

"And there she goes. She leaves just as quickly as she appears."

"Where does she go?"

"I haven't a clue, but I get the feeling she'll be back."

"So Carrots, are you back on the force yet?" Nick inquired before he bit into his peanut butter and blueberry jam sandwich from Bridgette's Breads, just around the corner. Judy sat drinking her carrot juice, slurping the last of it before answering.

"Nick, it's been three days, I want to get back to some real work more than you." Nick scoffed at her, leaning back in his chair.

"Fangmeyer is… charming, and all that… but wow, he talks about clothes and makeup and what is up with tigers and eyeliner!?" Judy didn't reply to that, she thought it was, as he put it, charming. She let the break room fall silent before looking at the clock, reading that their lunch break had met its end and it was back to janitor duty. She still envied Nick's ability to work in the field, she still had eleven more days to go.

"Better get to chiseling the Chief's leftover spaghetti off the microwave." She said to herself, not caring if Nick heard.

"It'll be nice when everything is back to normal." Fangmeyer walked in from the hall and put a giant tiger paw on his tiny shoulder.

"Ready to go?" He purred. Nick's shoulders were nearly in his ears they were so high and tense.

"Yeah." He agreed in a small squeak. Judy giggled, dropped from the seat, and grabbed her and Nick's trash to toss it into the large bin in the corner. She dumped the rubbish in and noticed a white shape behind the bin. She pulled the metal bin out a little more from the corner and found Cottonhead curled up on the hard tile behind it.

"Cottonhead!? How long have you been here?" She asked. The little white bunny still remained silent, and again she was rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Oh sweetheart, you can sit at the tables, there's no need to hide." Judy helped her up and sat her in a chair. She was tired, yawning as she rested her head on her arm on the table. Nick turned to notice this before he had left and pulled Fangmeyer back in as well.

"What's Cottonhead doing here?" Nick asked. Judy looked to him with a bit of hope.

"Do you know her?"

"Not really. She's been in and out over the last couple of days. No one can get a peep out of her. No name, no prints on record, nothing. Everyone calls her Cottonhead because-"

"Yes, I know already. Look, we have to find out why she's been hiding here. Why isn't she in school, and where are her parents?" Judy looked at the little bunny with care. "Can you tell us why you're here?" The little bunny saw into Judy's eyes, and opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. She hesitated, then seemed to have given up on trying to talk and flopped her head back down. "Ok, hey let's try this." Judy took out her pen and notepad and laid them before the girl. "Can you write something down for me?" Cottonhead looked at her, took the carrot shaped pen and began to slowly write. Her hand shook as she tried, and was overwhelmed with stress, she dropped the pen and jumped from the chair, frightened like she had done something terribly wrong. She tried to run by Fangmeyer but he stopped her, holding her gently back with a paw even though she thrashed and kicked. "Let her go." Judy spoke. Fangmeyer lost his grip on her and she fell backward to the tile floor, frantically pedaling back until she hit the wall in the hallway. She pressed against it for a second, stood up, and fled for the main entrance. "Did you see how scared she was?" Judy noted. "She was terrified!" Nick looked at the notepad, and scribbled on it was a faint number.

"6." Nick read. "Maybe she's trying to tell us something?" He flapped the pad down on the table's surface with no idea what it could mean. "This tells us a whole lot of nothing." He added sarcastically. Fangmeyer picked something from the floor and studied it in his paw.

"Wilde, Hopps, she dropped this." He said as he held out his paw with the object. Judy picked it up and held it by its long broken loop of thread. On this loop was a leaf made of fabric with stitching throughout to form veins and clean edges. She flipped it over and stitched in the opposite side was a word.

"Mom." Judy read. She handed it to Nick and he flipped it over to examine it.

"I know what this is. We HAVE to give it back to her." Fangmeyer stepped close to look at the green fabric leaf with the word on it once again.

"What is it, Wilde?"

"Probably the most important possession she has." His answer wasn't satisfactory, and Judy asked again.

"But what IS it?" Nick took it very gently and sat it on the table, then sat down himself.

"It's a traditionalist symbol. It's not a real pendant, real ones are made of precious metals. She made it herself, most likely, and with great care might I add." Judy went to look at it again, reaching for it with her paw and getting it slapped away when she got near. She was surprised but saw in Nick that his understanding of this symbol went deeper than what was evident. He just let it lie still on the table as he stared at it, stared at the word 'mom' that was stitched intricately into the one side of it. Judy stepped back from him and thought for a moment.

"Nick, you and Fangmeyer look around the area for her, see where she goes, where she might live. I'll ask around here and see if anyone else has any info." Nick just nodded, pulling out his own notepad, and folded the leaf very carefully into a makeshift envelope, and tucked it into his pocket with a pat to keep it safe there.

Day six of her suspension, and Judy was wishing pretty hard by this point that she had assessed the situation before stunning an innocent civilian.

She pushed the cleaning cart around and kept an eye out for a particular white bunny hiding in the corners. In an odd way, Judy was glad she was able to be at the station in case the girl appeared. She had not today, though, nor had she seen her for a few days. That didn't mean she wasn't there, just not yet found. Two days ago, Clawhauser saw her leave but not when she came in, and it was possible she could elude anyone's notice. It was nearing the end of the shift, and for the first time in this entire awful week, she didn't want to go home. She wanted to make sure Cottonhead was alright, she simply had to know. Her last duty of the day was to clean out the containers of coffee and brew a fresh batch for the night shift.

Curiously, she checked behind the garbage bin just to make sure she wasn't hiding there again. She wasn't, and Judy began to think that the bunny wasn't around at this hour. She dismissed the concern while she dumped the cold coffee into the sink, fumbling with the containers and splashing some of the contents on the countertop. She sat the container down in frustration and reached for a paper towel. The brown cardboard tube was all that remained from the demanding day, and she had to restock that as well. She knelt down and opened the cabinet beneath the sink and pulled out a fresh roll, and to her surprise, there she was. Laying in the dark cupboard beneath, facing away, and recoiled in on herself.

"Cottonhead!?" Judy's heart skipped a beat as she put a paw on her shoulder to wake her up. "Why are you hiding in here, you can sit at the-" Even in the darkness within the cabinet, she noticed something. Cottonhead rolled over and her left eye was swollen nearly shut, her brow was split open, and a sizeable bump protruded high on her cheek. She had been assaulted. "Oh no…" Judy crawled inside and pulled her out by her torso, lifting her up and setting her on the nearest table. She didn't protest at all and allowed Judy to help her. In the clear light of the room, Judy could see the extent of the injuries. Cottonhead huddled up on the hard surface of the table, and Judy put her abhorrence aside and called on her radio for help.

"Francine! Francine! Are you still in the building!?" After a brief moment of silence, the elephant answered.

"Yeah, Hopps, I'm at my desk."

"I have a medical emergency in the breakroom, adolescent bunny girl, blunt force trauma to the face!"

"I'm on my way!" Francine responded quickly. Judy held Cottonhead's paw tightly, wondering who could have possibly done this to her. Bunnies didn't do this to one another, it wasn't like a bunny to do this at all. She hoped that she was right in her thinking, but until she found out who did this, she wouldn't know for sure. Judy could hear Francine's elephant-sized footsteps, could even feel them, and was so glad she didn't find her any later in the day. She wondered if Cottonhead would've stayed hidden in that cabinet all night, and in a way she would've remained safer by doing so. Francine entered the room and assessed the situation, setting her medical kit on the table next to the little bunny.

"Hopps, what happened?"

"Found her in the cabinet." Nick and Fangmeyer were standing in the doorway, watching quietly and keeping clear. Judy sat Cottonhead upright while Francine prepped a pad of gauze with her trunk to clean the blood from the bunny's brow. There were a few more spectators at the doorway now, the hall could've been filled for all she knew, and by the sound of Bogo pushing his way through, it was.

"Heard you on the radio." Bogo took one look at Cottonhead and sighed. "She's been here every day this week. Doesn't talk, no information to go on. I've been trying to keep track of her on the cameras, but she's a slippery one." Judy was even more horrified by a thought of what might be causing her to visit every day, what she could be hiding from. Nick provided a bag of ice in his red handkerchief. The color was appropriate, if not a symbol of the serious matter, it was a blatant red flag. Francine continued her inspection, shining a little light into Cottonhead's eyes, and checked her pulse.

"I have reason to suspect this child has been drugged… poor little peanut..."

"Chief," Judy spoke up, "we have to make this a case. We have to get to the bottom of this." Chief nodded. Nick approached the bunny with her makeshift pendant strung between his paws. He draped it around her neck and tied it on with a sweet and caring smile, glad it was back where it belongs. More officers of both day and night shift had filled the room and witnessed this kindness. Cottonhead's eyes teared up as she clutched at it, likely thinking she had lost her necklace forever. She puffed out a quiet sob, and leaned her head into Judy's shoulder, grabbing her ear and drying her tears into them. Judy stood still, recognizing the distressing call of one bunny crying into the ear of another and what it meant. No one else there would understand, this was a bunny thing, it was a part of their culture. When bunny cries into another's ears, it meant they were too emotionally overwhelmed and chose someone strong to help them. Judy made sure she wouldn't ever burden anyone else with the gesture, and she coped the best she could as she grew up. This was a first for her, the first time she was needed this way, and she would do what she could for Cottonhead. The room fell silent but for the tiny sounds of her weeping. Zootopia's finest officers surrounded the child, felt moved in their hearts, and, if they had to, they would all stand defiantly against the end of the world to protect her. Bogo was the first to break the peace.

"I'll call someone from social services to come pick her up." Cottonhead gripped Judy tighter, pulling herself into her closer.

"No." Judy told him. "I'll take her home. I'll look after her." She picked her up and held the girl to her body like a mother would hold her child. There was no disagreement from Bogo, or from anyone else. She began to exit, everyone parting a path for her to walk.

In the hall, officers of both night and day shifts lined the walls, keeping a clear path for her to walk. The red handkerchief that held the ice to her eye set her apart from everyone in blue, the very point at which they all focused, knowing it signified great pain for someone too young to understand it. Officers looked on and Judy carried her through, each feeling their emotions brought on by this bonding. Some sympathetic, some angry, some even felt regret for not doing anything for her sooner. Clawhauser met Judy at the end of the line, and he had a compassionate expression for them both.

"Hey." He nearly whispered. "Let me give you a ride home."

Judy exited Clawhauser's car and opened the door to the back seat. Cottonhead had fallen asleep, letting the bag of half-melted ice roll around during the ride. She clutched onto the red handkerchief, which needed to return back to Nick eventually. Judy picked her up and hugged her to her chest and bumped the door shut with her foot.

"Judy, please call if you need anything at all. I'm not too far away." Clawhauser called out to her through the window.

"I will." She said softly with a nod. He drove off to his apartment while Judy walked towards hers in Grand Pangolin Arms. The street was dark in the evening, and Judy worried for the bunny. No matter what happened, she wouldn't be hurt anymore, not tonight at least, and it brought peace to her heart knowing that she was making the world a better place for this little one. Judy was tired but her strength wouldn't falter before she safely arrived in her apartment. She quietly went up the rickety stairs, unlocked her door, and arrived home at last. She sweetly laid Cottonhead on the bed and pulled the sheets up around her, tucking her in and setting a few of her stuffed bunnies in around her to make her feel loved. She was safe and sound resting peacefully, and without a second thought, she was glad she was able to do this for her.

She heard something next door, Bucky and Pronk started to argue about something again. She had forgotten about them, and hoped they wouldn't get any louder, but she was foolish to wish for such a thing. They got much, much louder arguing about a movie rental or something equally trivial. There was a stomp on the floor and a pound on a tabletop. Cottonhead awoke in a snap and buried herself in the blankets, covering her ears with her paws. She didn't like the yelling and violent outbursts, Judy disliked it even more, and it broke her heart to see the little bunny tremble with fear and trauma. She tossed her door open and pounded on her neighbor's door. As they halted their senseless bickering, they answered the door to see Judy already had her badge outstretched for them to see. Judy's glare would set something on fire if she was any angrier.

"Bucky, Pronk, normally I don't care about your feudal differences, I really don't, but tonight I have a guest, who is a child, that had been beaten and needs to get some sleep! If you two don't keep it quiet, I will haul you both down to the station by your antlers! Do I make myself clear!?" They both nodded quietly and agreed.

Judy walked back into her own room and tried against her will not to slam the door. She softly closed it and checked on Cottonhead.

She wasn't in the bed.

Judy's heart and mind raced in an instant until she saw that she had only moved to sleep in a pulled out dresser drawer. Judy sighed in relief for thinking she had lost her again. She went up to her and saw her nestled into her shirt drawer. She looked content, and as her bunny nose wiggled, nuzzling and smelling the clothes, she smiled. Judy pulled her pink plaid carrot farmer's shirt up over her and tucked her in again. Judy locked her door and settled into her own bed to relax and watch the news on her phone. She would be up for a few hours more, and she would watch over her, assuring a safe night for her. Bucky and Pronk remained quiet as well, good to know that they weren't entirely unreasonable.

Morning came fast for the two bunnies. The golden light of the sun bounced in through the single window and the alarm clock buzzed to initiate the day. Judy nudged Cottonhead in her shirt drawer and she rolled over, rubbed the sleep from her good eye, yawned, and spoke.

"Mommy?" It was the first time she had said anything. She woke up more and realized she wasn't in her own home, she was still safe in Judy's little apartment.

"No sweetheart, it's just me." She said to her with a melted heart. Cottonhead seemed disappointed but still happy to see her. Judy had a sense that she may be trusting her now, and she smiled back at her sweetly.

Judy poured a bowl of Lucky Chomps and gave the simple breakfast to her guest as she sat on the edge of the bed. Judy leaned against her desk and watched the little bunny hungrily slurp the cereal like she's never had it before. The morning itself was much more tolerable for both of them since they had each other to wake up with, but Judy knew their time together was very limited. Chief Bogo would contact social services today and make her relocation something official. Judy thought for a heartbeat that she could adopt her, but she was in no position to take care of a child. She didn't want children yet, coming from the crowded family she had in Bunnyburrow, and certainly, her career path and lifestyle couldn't support such a decision. She dismissed the thinking and just focused on what was next. This was a case, and it had to be cracked, not with clues or good police work, but with kindness and love.

She sat her carrot pen and notepad next to Cottonhead on the bed and smiled at her. Judy turned to pull her uniform from a hanger on the wall and changed into it. Once she had strapped on her vest, she looked to the bunny on the bed, and she had disappeared. There was a click at the door behind her and Judy rushed to it, looking at the stairs down the hall only to hear the faint patting of bunny feet on the steps, followed by the sound of the front entrance opening and closing. Judy dashed to her window, opening it and looking out into the street, hoping to see the fleeing tail of the little white bunny. She couldn't see her, she had lost her. Right out of the door when she wasn't looking, she lost her. Judy turned to go immediately to the station when she noticed her carrot pen and notepad on the bed. She lifted the pen and read what Cottonhead had written.

"6011 Loon..." She said aloud to herself. She had an address, and no doubt she would find Cottonhead there. There was no time to waste, she got on the phone and called Nick.

"Good morning, Carrots, how's the little one?"

"Gone!"

"What!?" Nick exclaimed, almost choking on his hot coffee. "What do you mean gone!?"

"She just escaped my apartment a second ago but she left me an address, 6011 Loon! I think it might be where she lives, we have to check it out!"

"Ok, stay where you are, I'm gonna pick you up."

This part of town was a little run down compared to its neighboring residential zones. The houses could all use a fresh coat of paint and the lawns could all use a bit more grass. Nick drove down Loon Street slowly, counting the house numbers until they arrived at their destination. Nick pulled off and parked on the right side of the road, and looked at the rambler on the left.

"Here it is." He announced to Judy. "What do you think? Do we have a plan at all, or are we flying by the seat of our pants here?"

"I don't know. Cottonhead trusts me, I think. She lead us here so I'm sure we will find something. Let's start by seeing who's home." Judy observed the mailbox and read the name on it, "Lopper, at least we know her last name." They exited their police cruiser and walked up the sidewalk to the front door of the house. Judy pounded on the door harshly, and Nick couldn't help but make a remark.

"You knock like-"

"A cop?"

"-a bunny."

"Shh!" The knob turned and the door opened. Before her was a white male rabbit, overweight but about Judy's height. His ears flopped to either side and without a doubt, he was the father. His shirt was a pale yellow, dingy from wear, and his jeans were worn out as well. Judy inquired first.

"Good morning Mr. Lopper. Have you been aware of the whereabouts of your daughter?" Mr. Lopper shook his head.

"What has she gotten into this time?" He asked.

"She's not in any trouble. She's been coming to the station and we're concerned for her well-being." Mr. Lopper looked sullen and distressed by the news.

"She's a very troubled child. Please, come in…" he invited.

They entered the drab living room with an old couch, ratty carpet, and dull orange curtains over the windows. Overall, it was well kept and clean considering the neighborhood. Mr. Lopper sat on the couch and folded his paws. To one side, there was a large and fully stocked bookshelf, and next to it was a writing desk. The father sighed and began explaining what was happening.

"She doesn't get along well with the other children. She gets into fights often and doesn't care to go to school. I've made it official to take her out of her classes altogether, and I'm trying to find her a homeschool teacher as we speak." This was not what Judy was expecting. It would've been easier if there was a clear criminal, or someone obviously bad that she could arrest. Judy continued to inquire.

"Where is her mother?"

"She works in the tourism industry. She can be absent for a few weeks at a time. I work from home here, I'm a writer and a novelist." Judy was beginning to piece things together. Cottonhead missed her mother, and she likely wore a leaf like the one she made so she could feel close. Judy pressed on.

"Your daughter, is she here?"

"Hannah? Yes, she's asleep in her room. Would you like to see her?" Mr. Lopper gestured to follow him, and guided them to a door with a lock on the outside. He unlocked it and quietly opened it a crack so Judy and Nick could see. Inside the room, layered with laundry and clothing, laid little Hannah wrapped up on top of a pile of shirts. The room was messy, and if there was a proper bed in there, it was thoroughly buried. Mr. Lopper closed the door quietly and locked it.

"What's with the lock?" Nick asked.

"Sometimes she can be very unruly. It's to keep her safe, she also has to take these." He produced an orange prescription bottle from his pocket and held it up briefly. "It makes her rather tired and she sleeps a lot." Judy was understanding things very clearly. This poor child was under a lot of stress and these extreme precautions were all for her protection.

"Do you know who hurt her?" Judy asked. Mr. Lopper shrugged as he guided them back to the couch.

"I don't know. Any of the neighborhood's kids I suppose. I'm sorry she troubled you. For a moment, I thought she had made a friend, someone she likes, someone to play with, but instead, she found her way all the way down to the police station. Couldn't begin to say why." He reached for a pen and notepad and wrote his phone number on it. "If she ever ends up on that side of town again, please give me a call and I'll come pick her up." Nick took the note and folded it into his pocket as Judy replied.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Lopper. We'll do our best should we find Hannah in our offices again." Judy shook the paw of the white rabbit, Nick tipping his brow to the guy, and they walked outside back to their police cruiser. Nick started the car and drove forward no further than a hundred feet, parked, and turned the car off. It was peculiar.

"Talk to me, Nick." Judy asked. He shook his head and gripped the wheel tightly.

"We're being hustled." Judy's eyes widened. She hadn't noticed anything unbelievable from Mr. Lopper's explanation.

"How?"

"The name on the prescription bottle was Margaret. I don't know if that's enough to go on, but it puts a chip in his story." The car fell silent for a moment, and neither of them knew what to do. "Something isn't right." Nick got out of the car and crossed the street to the other side. Judy followed, then stepped in front of him.

"I want to help that girl more than anyone. Unless we have solid probable cause we-" There was a ping on her ear, causing it to perk up and turn in the direction of the sound. She stopped and looked towards the rambler a quick walk away.

"What is it, Carrots?"

"I heard a scream." Judy shot off running and Nick chased after. Judy went up the side of the house and hunkered down beneath the window that was attached to Hannah's room. She listened carefully to the yelling from within the house.

"How dare you bring the cops here! There will be no sleep for you today, you have chores to do!" Mr. Lopper yelled at Hannah. "Are you listening to me, or do you have cotton in your ears again? You never listen to anything anyone says, you cotton headed little brat! You'll always be a cottonhead just like your mother!" Judy and Nick heard that last part too clearly. Judy's heart turned into a lead weight, Cottonhead wasn't a term of endearment for the bunny at all, it was a terrible insult, and they have all been calling her that since the day they first met. Judy reached for her carrot pen, hoping she could've recorded something sooner, but realized she had left her apartment without it. She hated herself for leaving it, and without it, she couldn't begin to build a case against Mr. Lopper. Judy slowly and carefully peeked her head above the windowsill. She saw Hannah standing in the doorway crying. Judy heard the fat rabbit call to the girl again. "And keep quiet! I'm going to be writing and I don't want to be disturbed!" Hannah turned to leave but Judy tapped a bunch of times on the window and got her attention. Hannah saw her and was filled with surprise, saw her rescuer, and dashed off for the front door while Judy ducked out.

"It's go-time." She ordered to Nick, and in unison, they sprinted around the side of the house. Nick stayed back around the corner out of sight of the front door as Judy approached it. She heard the fat rabbit yell and the door was thrown open by Hannah, leaping from the door into Judy's arms. She half carried the girl down the sidewalk as her father emerged, only to be stopped and held at point by Nick's stunner.

"Don't move!" Nick yelled at him. "Paws up where I can see 'em!" Nick pulled his cuffs from his belt and strapped the wrists of the father. "You're under arrest for child endangerment. Anything you say can and will be used against you." Mr. Lopper stayed quiet, but the look in his eye at his daughter instilled terror in her. She turned and hugged into Judy tightly, never wanting to let go. Judy knelt down and held her tight as well.

"It's ok sweetheart, we got him, it's over, it's all over…" She held onto her, but she was beginning to pull away.

"Ow." The tiny sound came from her. Judy ceased her tight hold and released her a bit. "Ow." She subtly sounded again. Judy felt something on her backside, something unusual. Very carefully she pulled the bottom of her shirt up, and found that her back was dreadfully scarred and strips of fur were missing, exposed skin deeply bruised, and she was lashed numerous times. Some marks were old and some new, still fresh from this morning. The marks appeared as if they had been caused by a belt, something school kids wouldn't do.

"Nick…" She said in a flat tone. He saw and his jaw dropped. The father took the opportunity to flee but Nick tripped him in a second and flattened him on the ground. He couldn't come up with anything to say to the monster, not that he deserved any respect. Hannah began to cry again, shaking with nerves and pain. Judy slowly let go of her, standing up with fire in her eyes, and rage flooded her heart. If Judy could will it, she would've gone savage to tear Mr. Lopper limb from limb. She began to walk towards the rabbit on the ground with every intent to do harm.

"Carrots, we got him, it's over." Nick said to her but her approach didn't waiver. "Carrots? Stop, Judy!" Nick had to block her with his body. She flailed and screamed and unleashed her fury.

"You monster! How dare you hurt her!" She pushed against the fox, desperately trying to get at the rabbit on the ground. Judy's fist flew wildly, connecting with Nick's jaw, and in the same instant, Nick's stunner shot lightning into her side. Judy fell to the ground, convulsing for a moment from the shock, and Nick recomposed his wits that had nearly been knocked out of him. Mr. Lopper hadn't moved, unable to lift himself from his own lawn without using his arms. Judy sat up and held her side, Nick let her sit there and recover while he hauled Mr. Lopper to the cruiser to be locked in the backseat. She thought the chaos was over, standing up and wobbling, she noticed Hannah was nowhere to be found.

"Hannah?" She called, and caught sight of the front door swinging shut. Judy stumbled and entered the house, waiting a moment to look, and hearing a clamoring in a bedroom. She followed the sound of wood drawers and little metal bits tussling together. Judy found Hannah in the master bedroom, pulling drawers out and dumping them to the floor. She searched through the contents in a hurry, and lastly she grabbed a box from atop the dresser and emptied it as well. She ran her paws through it, tossing rings and chains aside. It clicked in for Judy, she knew what she was looking for, she was searching her father's room for her mother's leaf necklace. Judy switched the light on her phone and looked beneath the bed for a box, pulling one out and dumping its papers on the floor. She opened the closet door as Hannah looked in the drawers of the nightstand. Nick had come in and asked.

"What are you two doing?" Judy in a tired huff answered.

"Necklace! Where's her mother's necklace?" Hannah tried to lift the mattress, and she exerted her little body, crying out a sharp shrill as pain stung through her. Judy stopped and went to her, placing her paws on each of her shoulders to hold her in place. Her back still had fresh injuries, the search had to stop and she was at the end of her strength.

"Hannah, sweetheart, we'll find it! Just hold still." The crying came and Judy called in a medical emergency again for the little bunny, but this time she was going to the hospital.

Nick left without a word, and it was now he who bore the burden in his heart to harm Mr. Lopper. Nick walked with a mission to their police car, tucked just out of sight of the house's windows. He drawn his stunner and whipped open the back door and slid the business end of his weapon into the fat neck folds of the monster in the back seat. With a deep growl, he questioned the rabbit.

"Her mother's leaf, where is it!?" He snarled, jabbing the stunner deeper into his neck. Mr. Lopper almost choked on his own spit but shortly answered the deadly serious fox.

"I don't have it! I… I sold it! I needed the money! Please don't!" Nick thought to pull that trigger, send electricity into this piece of garbage and make him hurt for selling that poor girl's leaf pendant. He had to swallow it, at the end of the day, it was wrong no matter how it could have been justified. With a final shove, Nick threw the slob further into the cruiser. He slammed the door and let out a much-needed breath of aggravation. He felt his aching jaw with his paw and opened his mouth wide a few times to stretch the swelling muscle, and walked back to Judy and Hannah emerging from the house and stopping to rest in the thin grass of the front lawn. Judy was trying to calm Hannah down, but the despair overwhelmed her. Nick put a paw on Judy's shoulder, and when their eyes met, he just shook his head to silently say the necklace was gone.

The paramedics had arrived with a loud siren and flashing lights, ready to receive and treat the injured bunny girl. The scene had attracted a few onlookers, and more would come out to see the spectacle as it went on. Without a word more, Judy went with Hannah in the ambulance to the hospital, and Nick left with the monster.

Nothing further needed to be said as Nick yanked the collar of Mr. Lopper, almost dragging him along into the station, straight to the holding cell where he belonged. The mid-morning hour still had a number of officers present in the department, and they took notice of what was going on. The fat white bunny with floppy ears and albino eyes was unmistakably the mysterious little girl's father. The air itself stood still as officers sneered at him. No one said a word to anyone, and if Delgato hadn't pulled Wolford back by the shoulder, there would've been some kind of encounter. Wolford shook Delgato's paw off angrily, and lowered his head to display his sharp teeth.

Nick made it to the cell, yanked it open, and threw the rabbit in with a slam of the bars, locking him in his cage. Nick glared at him for a moment then walked off. Mr. Lopper slid back into the corner and made himself small like a frightened bunny. All around him in this place, its occupants would rather see him dead for his injustices.

After leaving the holding cell for the break room, Nick filled a bag of ice, and sat in a chair at a table. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a huge breath of relief as if he had been holding it all morning. His jaw ached while he pressed the refreshing chill of the ice to it to sooth its swollen pressure. Fangmeyer was in the room, he got up from his seat and placed a large paw on his shoulder, and nodded as he left. Nick's phone rang, it was Judy. He answered it and saw the fuzzy face of his partner on the screen.

"Hey, how is she?" He greeted.

"She's ok, she's strong, but this has been going on for a while. Social services is coming in to place her in foster care soon." Judy rubbed a tear from her eye.

"How are you doing, Carrots?" Nick inquired. Judy swallowed a drink of water from a little plastic cup and sighed.

"I'm alive, though my side is beginning to blister, and my nerves are shot." Nick scoffed and adjusted the ice on his jaw.

"Well, you kinda deserved it."

"Oh geez, Nick, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad I was able to stop you from making a huge mistake." A bit of silence fell between them. Nick filled the gap with a comment. "Besides, you hit like-"

"A bunny?"

"-a truck." Judy nervously grinned, but it was short lived.

"Nick, I'm worried Hannah isn't going to do well in foster care." Judy was genuinely concerned for her, and she had grown all too attached to the little girl. Nick asked the obvious question.

"Couldn't you take care of her?"

"Already thought about it, and I don't think that would be good for either of us. She needs more than good parents, love and care, and lots of friends…" She stopped at her realization. She had a thought.

"You have an idea, don't you?"

"Yeah! I'll call you back!" Judy ended the call and thumbed through her phone numbers to the one labeled 'Mom and Dad'.

Hannah busied herself in the quiet laundry room. At her side was Judy's mother, loading piles of clothes from a seemingly never-ending collection of baskets into a line of a dozen washing machines. Hannah was content and smiling with her new place and duties, sorting, folding, and stitching the tears in the shirts and pants of the many children.

"You're really good at this." Bonnie praised her. Hannah didn't talk but might speak now that she was out of the monster's clutches and over two-hundred miles away. "I really appreciate the help in here, not one other bunny will ever help me do the laundry so having a helper is a great thing!"

Nick and Judy came to the doorway of the room, and saw a happy Hannah folding and sorting, and even lifting the warm bundles of clothes from the dryers. Though she attempted to lug a load of freshly dried laundry that was too big for her, and the pile of warmth toppled on top of her. Hannah was in no hurry to unburrow herself. It brought joy to their hearts seeing what a difference they had made for this girl. She had her entire life ahead of her now. The foundation of love and safety was everything she needed, and now she had plenty of it.

"Hey mom, sorry to leave so soon but we're still on the clock and we have a long drive ahead of us." She gave her mom a hug and knelt down to give Hannah a hug as well. "I'll see you all the time, and I'm always a phone call away." Hannah held her arms tight around Judy.

"Thank you." She whispered into her ear.

"I'll miss you, sweetheart." Judy stood up and spoke with her mom. "Please let me know how she does in school because if anyone is hassling her, I'll be here in two shakes to-"

"She will be fine, she's really smart for a bunny her age. I would know, I raised you didn't I?" Judy giggled at the compliment.

"Heh, fair enough. We'll keep in touch." She and Nick left with a wave goodbye.

"Zootopia, 208 miles." Judy announced. Nick pulled out some files from beneath the seat and began looking through them. She had her mind on the road and welcomed the long quiet drive from the farm to the metropolis after the longest day she's had in awhile. The sun was beginning to set in the west and it would be dark by the time they arrived home. Judy thought intently on the case and was reminded of Bellwethers letter that she hadn't replied to it yet. She opened the conversation starting with that.

"Bellwether sent me a letter earlier this week." She stated.

"I saw. What did she want?" Judy figured it wouldn't escape the fox's notice.

"She asked how do I stay strong." Nick paused his reading of the files in his lap and stared at the passing landscape of carrot fields through the window.

"If she had asked me, I'd tell her to never let them see that they get to you." Judy huffed. She thought of the case that worked her over the last week.

"This case… it really got to me, though. I really lost my cool, and I hurt you, and I never wanted to hurt you."

"Don't worry about it." Nick told her. She thought she was talking about the punch but he continued. "It got to me too, her father got to me, and I almost made a bad decision myself. Everyone's emotions were boiling over." Judy shook her head in disbelief.

"I thought this job mostly consisted of cops and robbers, catch the bad guys and make the world a better place." She admitted, and she knew it was a naive thought.

"Mostly, but not every case is going to be cut-and-dry, Carrots. But not to worry, we still caught the bad guy." Nick reminded her. There was a moment of silence as Nick returned to his reading until he interrupted it with a "Hmm."

"What'cha got there?" Judy asked.

"I managed to use Mr. Lopper's phone number to pull some files, and listen to this. Margaret Lopper worked at a commercial laundry service. A year ago, she had died of an overdose. The same medicine Hannah had been given had a terrible side effect, she thought she was seeing monsters."

"That explains a lot, Hannah's fascination with clothes and why she was so scared of everyone."

"There's more. There had been a few domestic disputes reported, but each was explained away by Mr. Lopper, and perhaps if Margaret was on the medicine, she wasn't able to defend herself well. He had control of every situation, able to manipulate with the clever use of language. I'm surprised we cracked this case at all, to be honest." Judy thought for a moment. Her mother did, in fact, say that Hannah was smart. She trusted her mom's motherly instincts, and in a clear thought, it came to her.

"Hannah is a strange and special child. I still can't comprehend the amount of strength it took for her to endure all of it." Nick nodded and agreed.

"She's a bright one, maybe she'll invent a longer lasting light bulb someday." Judy shrugged, and there was one piece left she wondered about.

"What I still don't get was the significance of the leaf necklace."

"It was her mother's, and it was important to her." Nick reached into his pocket and palmed a leaf pendant of his own. He passed it to Judy and she examined it, holding it above the steering wheel with both paws. She observed its broken loop, the numerous scratches, dings, and chips. Turning it over, she read the inscription on the back, 'Wilde'. Its condition, and how she knew him to be, fit one another all too appropriately like a it was a reflection. "It's the most important thing to me, it was my father's… Ok... give it back now, please..." Nick took it and hid it in his pocket where it likely sat every day in secrecy beneath her knowledge.

"I never took you for a traditional person, Nick."

"I try. I want to do good things, and I owe it to my mom because she never stopped believing that I am a good guy. It's why I wanted to be in ranger scouts as a kit. I wanted to be legit before the world showed me how it really is." Judy smiled sweetly at her fox, and indeed he was a good one. Hannah's strength was inspiring, against any norm that may be told of rabbits, her father was terrible and she exhibited incredible will power over the challenges she faced. She knew what she would write to Bellwether now, and hoped it would help her sort her issues out. The sun sat lower on the horizon, and the day felt done.

"It'll be nice to get back to a normal day after this." Judy admitted. Nick shot her a look sideways.

"Carrots, you still have a week left of suspension."

"UUUUUUUUuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh…"


	3. Chapter 3: Carrot Days

Chapter 3: Carrot Days

Judy sat at her desk in her apartment. The evening street lights trickled their lazy orange glow over her as she ate a meager microwaved carrot meal. Munching on it, she wished that her quiet little room had just a little more life, just one more life, within its walls. She had become lonely as the stressful days went in and out, and she always pushed herself to keep up with the expectations of everyone at ZPD. She is, and still was, their one bunny cop. Key term being 'bunny', she was isolated from her own kind.

Bunnyburrow was two-hundred miles away, which meant her family was that far away as well. Talking to her parents often didn't help her droning home life. Her mom often gossiped and her dad talked about the crops and weather. It was better than nothing. Most of the time, she lied to them, saying life was great and she was doing well. The truth in her lie is that she was indeed doing well in her career, but not outside of that, she was isolated and had previously been too well accustomed to the bustle of constant bunny interaction. Once before, she thought to foster Hannah for a while, but it was selfish to think about her in that manner just for the companionship, and she wasn't even sure if she could properly take care of her. When the door closed behind her, she became a different mammal altogether, she had turned into a creature of solidarity. Her apartment wasn't where she lived, it was simply where she slept on a stiff bed, kept possessions that attracted the dust, and ate cheap meals that would never compare to her mother's home-cooked recipes. She sighed quietly to herself.

"Suck it up." She whispered, attempting and failing to combat her homesickness. There was a clamor in the halls beginning, which meant her neighbors were arriving home at the same time from their own long days. Always yelling, it was the common background that accompanied her apartment. She could always hear them clearly with her rabbit ears, and she sometimes wished she didn't always have to. She never had much choice in the matter, they were always so loud, and tonight was no different.

"Why do we have to eat greens?" Pronk asked his partner, Bucky.

"Because I cook it for you!"

"Can't you make something else?" Their door opened with a harsh crack of the knob.

"We don't have anything else because you don't buy anything else!" The door slammed, and the argument didn't slow one bit, it intensified.

"I don't buy anything else because we can't afford anything else! Bucky, we don't make that much money so we have to make due with what we have!" Bucky stomped or slammed something, Judy wasn't sure and it didn't matter.

"Then get a better job!" Pronk exclaimed.

"You get a better job!"

"No, you get a better job!" Judy always angered when their arguments turned into childish prattling, looping over themselves and going nowhere to solve any of their issues. Judy tossed the plastic tray that once held her meal into the trash and slid out of her chair. She marched up to the left wall of her room. She cocked her arm back to pound on the wall that she shared with Bucky and Pronk when her acute hearing picked up a sound she never heard from them before: crying.

"Bucky, I'm sorry. I know things are hard but we'll get through this." Judy relaxed her arm and stood staring at the wallpaper, and dropped her gaze to the floor beneath her.

"I know." Bucky acknowledged. "I'm just so tired of this, I hate this place. I just want us to be happy."

"Things will get better. If not, we'll always have each other. I love you, Bucky."

"I love you too, Pronk." They were quiet now. Judy was touched and envious of them. Even though they hated each other, they loved each other. They had a tiny apartment, poor income, hard and long days, but at the end of those days, they had each other. This made the world for them round and rich, and above all else, it gave them hope. Judy's lips quivered with emotions she wasn't equipped to deal with. She had always been strong, independent, sometimes tomboyish, and, to her, she thought these could be reasons no one had ever pursued her romantically. Was she that hard to love? She let her head go slack and bonked her forehead against the wall.

"I swear if that rabbit hits the wall one more time…" Pronk angrily spoke. Judy quietly pushed off and laid down on her bed. She reached over to the radio clock that now read eleven, she turned it on for some music to uplift her spirits.

"I can't see me lovin' nobody but you, for all my life-" she flicked the radio to a new channel.

"Don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep 'cause I'd miss you, baby, and I don't wanna miss a thing-" Again, she changed to a different station.

"aaaaand IIIIIIIiiiiiieeeeiiiiiii… Will always… Love yoooouuuOOOOOUUUU…" She pounded on the clock to switch it off, fed up with its mockery and the ill-coincidence. Judy was slowly fading into upset, and she picked up her favorite stuffed bunny, the one with a police badge sticker on it. She took its ear and wiped her tearful eyes, trusting the comfort of the stuffed bunny to relieve her of heartache. She hugged it close, burying her nose into its head and smelling the bittersweet scented history of it taking her tears. She flopped her head into the pillow, trying to think of some happy thoughts to carry her through the night. Love was tap-dancing on her mind, so she thought about who loved her. The word seldom crossed her lips, but a particular memory did surface. Nick once said to her,

"You know you love me." And she replied with,

"Do I?" With a brief moment of a stir in her heart, she confirmed Nick's comment with a confident "Yes I do." For some time after that event, business was usual, the feeling left but was now back with a force she couldn't ignore. She wanted to be near him, hold him even, but would be satisfied just talking to him.

With a new mission and purpose, she sat up and took her phone from its charger on the night stand. She thumbed through to get Nick's number on the screen, took one apprehensive breath, then tapped the 'call' icon and the phone switched to place the call. It hummed once, twice, each time placing a sliver of doubt he would even pick up until the screen came on to show the happy orange face of the sly fox she was thinking of with fondness.

"Hey, Carrots, what's up?" He answered. Judy had almost completely frozen but broke through the tension in her by responding casually.

"Not much, just seeing what you're up to."

"Really?" He asked with a puzzled expression. "Normally you call when you need a ride or something." He wasn't wrong. She did need something, but it wasn't an easy thing for her to come out of the blue and ask.

"No," she nearly squeaked. "Just seeing if you had a moment to talk, that's all."

"Uh," Nick drawled, looking over his shoulder. "Now might not be a good time. Finnick and the guys are over for a game of cards and- GUYS! KNOCK IT OFF! IT'S PROBABLY ILLEGAL SO STOP TALKIN' ABOUT IT!- sorry about that, what did you need?" Judy thought for a moment, it wasn't too late and she could join them for a little social activity.

"Playing cards, eh? Deal me in 'cause I can be there in fifteen minutes."

"Whoa, hold on a second there," he stopped her, Judy's ears dropped and so did her spirit. "It's guys' night and we both have work in the morning. It's already late and we'll be finishing up soon anyway. Maybe next time?" Judy tried to seem optimistic, but her expression was failing her. Nick never took notice and it was beginning to hurt her feelings.

"Sure." Was all she could say.

"Ok I gotta go, I'm dealing and I'm feeling lucky."

"Wait!" She stopped him. She didn't know what to say next but she had his attention. She was thinking to ask him something that could help ease her mind of her lovesickness, if something was even possible. "I've been meaning to ask, is there a special someone in your life?" The words came out and there was no going back. Nick stared at her for a moment as he tried to figure out the question.

"Uhm, yeah, actually. She's funny, friendly, big-hearted, optimistic, intelligent, loyal, caring, forgiving, and she's short!" For sure she knew he had described her.

"Is this someone I know?" She youthfully inquired.

"Yeah, you might." He confirmed. This gave her a whole flock of butterflies in her belly, and she figured he couldn't come out and just say it because he didn't want to embarrass her in front of the guys. It made her so happy to be acknowledged in this way, it made her feel special, and above all else, loved.

"Ok, well, I'll let you finish your card game then. I'll see you tomorrow, Nick."

"Good night, Carrots." Her phone displayed a simple 'call ended' in the middle of its blank screen. She plugged it back into the charger and flopped into her bed, reveling in a new feeling of being wanted. She curled into the many stuffed bunnies on her bedsheets, holding them close, wishing any one of them was Nick. She reached out to her clock radio and turned it on, the ill-coincidental love songs weren't so bad now.

A rare thing had occurred, Judy slept remarkably well and got up a few minutes early to prepare herself for the coming day. She felt shiny and new as she applied a little makeup to her lips to make them a pink shade, and some shadow on her eyes to do the same. She felt like candy and her mind was alight and ready to see Nick first thing this morning. The golden morning sun was warm and inviting on her face as she left her apartment building. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, she took the train to ZPD, listening to her music and watching Zootopia zip by.

Everything was vivid and alive, just as she felt herself be. Just beyond her train stop where she exited, she thought to get an apple juice from a grocery store she often passed on the way to work. She glanced in a bargain bin filled with movies, and found lying on top was a flick by the name of 'My Big Fat Elephant Wedding'. A comedy where an elephant woman falls madly in love with a mouse. It was a cute film she always wanted to see, and she held it up in hopes that she could arrange a date with Nick to watch it with her. Not entirely surprised, it was in the bargain bin. When it was released, it had mixed reviews considering it was about a mixed-species couple getting married. The differences in their cultures provided a lot of comedic value, yet love was stronger than such things, it conquered all, and her style of love was rather similar in that sense. She had also purchased a card with an ornate paper rose on it, something to hold her sentiments for her sly fox, and cheerfully paid and left to start her work at the department. She beat the fox to their desk, still running early, she took the opportunity to write in the card.

"You are the only guy for me, you are the love of my life." Was all she managed to write before Nick strolled in. She closed the card quickly without signing a name to her little love note. Her stomach lifting with the flutters of wings, she watched him come in. One of the hounds greeted him and congratulated him, and another said something cheerful to him, patting his shoulder and telling him how lucky he is. Judy leaned on one paw, the other stroking the smooth wood with a single finger. She looked on with admiration and joy as he approached and took a sip of his coffee.

"Good morning, Carrots." He greeted. With a soft sigh and a gentle breath, she responded.

"Goooooooood morning. What's everyone talking about?" He smiled from ear to ear, and it was contagious. Judy couldn't help but smile widely with him.

"After you called last night, I just couldn't keep it a secret anymore. So I told them."

"And what did they say?" Judy was genuinely curious. Especially since they consider him to be a lucky guy. He smiled even wider.

"Aw gee, uh." He hesitated. "They all thought I scored big time, got a real catch." Judy was nearly blushing, and it was becoming difficult to contain her affections. She took a breath to speak but Nick spoke first. "I told them I'm going out with Silvia Fawkes." The world imploded in her mind. She had to confirm it, it had to be a joke or a trick. Something other than what she thought he said, it couldn't be true.

"...what?" She nearly whispered it.

"Silvia Fawkes, ya know-"

"The lawyer from the billboards?" Judy asked. Her ears flopped like rags and her posture had become weighted down by the amount of disappointment filling every part of her.

"Yeah, I told you a little about her last night. She's wonderful! We have a date tonight, actually." The vivid glow the world around had been flushed, her heart clutched in on itself, and every butterfly in her stomach died and fell heavily to the bottom to decay. Nick moved on to talk to some other officers, leaving Judy destroyed in his wake. It was almost time for assignments and Judy stood up feeling like her body was made of lead. She took the movie and the card and took one last look before dumping them in the trash bin beside the desk. She got on her feet and didn't feel much like going anywhere at all, not feeling like this. Chief Bogo was summoning the day shift into the bullpen to give the day's assignments, and Judy didn't care for any of it.

"Hopps, Wilde," Bogo called. "We have had reports of-"

"Parking duty…" Judy spoke out unenthusiastically as she got up and dragged her feet to the back of the room, picking up an orange vest on the way out.

"Judy, where are you going?" Nick asked her. Everyone had a moment where they held their breaths, no one was sure what was going on. Nick glanced to Bogo and he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok, Nick, take Fangmeyer with you, since Hopps is volunteering for traffic duty today. But whatever is going on between you two, fix it. I need you both at your best on this force. Got that?" Nick was put on the spot before the entire squad. He hadn't a clue what was wrong yet, and he aimed to find out.

"Yes, chief." He affirmed.

Judy walked out of the department and sat in the little traffic buggy she was familiar with. She placed her forehead on the steering wheel and let the water that glazed her eyes fall for a moment. She sniffed and wiped the tears away once, and smudged the makeup Nick had never noticed.

Nick sat in the evening twilight at a table for two, patiently waiting in one of the fancy and ritzy establishments in Zootopia. The restaurant was called Sea and Orchard, a place of fine cuisine he never would've considered, if it wasn't for his desire to honor his date's idea to eat there.

She was late, very late.

Nick checked his phone for the time and for a message that would provide any comfort or any assurance Silvia Fawkes was going to show. The waiter had brought a small basket of bread sticks, he said nothing to Nick but the expression on his face conveyed a strong sense of sympathy. Nick didn't touch them, irritated that he had been waiting for over an hour, and if he received a sympathetic free desert, he swore to himself that he'd consider the date a complete failure and go home. A moment more passed, and the wait staff was beginning to mutter amongst themselves, and he took notice. He drank his water then stood up, feeling exposed and embarrassed. He stepped once and she finally showed up, calling his name out.

"Nicholas! So glad you could be here!" Nick was caught off guard, and a little torn between staying and leaving, but seeing Silvia in a sheer red dress convinced him to stay. She looked lovely.

"Silvia!" He exclaimed. "I thought for a moment that-"

"Ugh, you wouldn't believe the day I've had. Get my chair for me, would you?" Nick hopped to the task and drawn her chair out, letting her settle into it like a lady.

"Yeah, my day was-"

"So the Gruntson account was murder today, literally. I never thought the mammal was innocent, but hey, surprise! I found a solid alibi and the jury bought it! Sometimes I'm glad the system randomly chooses the jury members, makes my job a lot easier." The waiter came and politely asked what they would like to drink. Nick took a breath and ordered.

"Yes, I'll-"

"Oh! Hi, Patrick! I didn't know you were working tonight! How's your wife these days? Anyway, we'll have a bottle of your 1988 Bonvignon." Silvia blurted out. Nick recomposed his wits.

"I'd like to order a-"

"Oh gosh, I'm so hungry! Mm! Everything looks good but you know what I'm in the mood for? I'll would love a Mealy Salad, no tomatoes, extra olives, low-fat salad dressing, and Parmesan cheese, grated, not sprinkled, with just a cup of the soup with four no-sodium crackers." She stopped to pull a pocket mirror from her purse.

"And for you, sir?" Nick hadn't even looked at the menu yet. Eyes scrambling from item to item, he couldn't decide, and the prices were certainly not making his choice any easier. His eye stopped on something he knew would be ok.

"Grouper sandwich…" He said. The waiter jotted it down on his order pad and continued.

"Anything else for you, sir?"

"Nope..." Nick said as he watched Silvia admire herself in the pocket mirror.

"Very good, sir." The waiter confirmed and went to get the order placed. Nick was left alone in the presence of his foxy date. Not sure what to do or say, he drummed his fingers on the edge of the table.

"So…" He began, waiting a moment to see if she would say something, he achieved her attention so he continued with a bit more confidence. "What's the difference between a female lawyer and a shark?" He paused with his paws out like he laid the question of the joke on the table. She stared and blinked at him with vacancy, then shrugged. "Lipstick." He smiled and chuckled at the joke, he thought it was worth a laugh at least, but Silvia's manner hadn't changed.

"I don't get it, why would a shark wear lipstick? Unless it was some kind of waterproof brand, that would make sense." Nick's face froze in a smile for a second then he let it slide into an exasperated and tired frown. He leaned forward, placing an elbow on the table and his palm over his face. The waiter, Patrick or whatever, brought the Bonvignon and poured a bit into a shapely wine glass for Nick. "Just leave the bottle." She told him. He did so and walked off to other patrons. Silvia poured the dark wine for herself, nearly to the brim of the glass. Nick filled his own and held his glass up to make a small toast to the evening.

"A toast to-" Silvia was already drinking her wine, and was half done with the amount in the glass. Nick shrugged pathetically and took a swig for himself. The drink was stiff as a plank of wood and burned the whole way down his throat, which turned the appetite in his stomach into regret. He coughed and chased it with water in an attempt to feel better.

"Wow, that's a kick in the gut." Silvia snickered and took another drink as if she and the wine were best friends.

"Really? I imagined hard drinks were your sort of thing? Ya know, being in law enforcement." Nick grinned, unsure how to take such a remark, but feeling a little insecure about himself all the same. She went on. "I once met a client that owned a vineyard in the valley last year, and let me tell you, his wine would make anyone feel reeeeally happy." She continued and Nick took a breadstick from the complimentary basket that was left for him. Almost wishing he was alone again, he thought about getting back to a regular evening with the regular company, Finnick, Wolford, Fangmeyer, Clawhauser, and… Judy. For a moment, he kinda missed her, always at his side and asking the questions, to which he had witty replies, and appreciated jokes. Thinking of Judy distracted him from his date for a moment too long.

"Nicholas?" He heard Silvia say. "Are you paying attention? Every detail is important here, I'm not going to say it again for you." Nick nodded and sipped more of his wine, her glass was empty and she poured herself more from the bottle.

Patrick came with their food, serving Silvia her decadent and particular salad and soup, and Nick got his grouper sandwich. Disappointed with the portion size, he knew for a fact that grouper fish weren't actually this small. He would try to eat slow and savor it, and as he was about to take a bite, Silvia inserted a question into the conversation. "Anyway, what was your day like?" She asked. He was caught off guard again. He put his fancy dinner down and thought he could finally get to speak to her about his work.

"My day?" He asked skeptically and she nodded in an expecting manner picking at her mealy salad with a fork. Nick sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Law enforcement is… Interesting, to say the least. Every day is different, like today. For instance, we got two false alarms from tripped security systems." Silvia had lost her interest before he even started, but found an interest in a more debonair and handsome wolf sitting at the bar. His thin mustache and pressed jacket spoke more her kind of language than Nick's simply nice shirt. She bit her lip, eager and bored with whatever Nick was trying to explain, and had to get away for just a moment to quench her curiosity.

"Could you pardon me for a moment, I need to use the lady's room." She arose from her seat and headed towards the bar.

"Of course you do." Nick said without missing a beat. He picked his dinner up and munched on it, a few bites and it was mostly gone already. His date's soup and salad had been abandoned nearly untouched, and once again Nick was alone. "This isn't so bad." He said to himself. He took a nice long draw of wine and choked its fiery warmth down after his meal. He didn't know what to expect, she was a lawyer, Nick was just himself, and he accepted how things were. "Not bad at all, actually. Could be worse." He sipped the rest of his wine and signaled the waiter for the check. In a moment it was brought to him, and the amount listed was like a wooden stake through his wallet. "Oh look, it just got worse." He looked around for Silvia, and didn't see her at the bar flirting with another dapper guy. He dropped nearly the entire contents of his wallet into the bill's fancy booklet and stood up. Silvia came back to talk to him from out of seemingly nowhere.

"You're leaving? It feels like we just got here." Nick shook his head.

"Hey, it's gotten late and I have to report for duty in the morning. This was fun, and we should do it again soon." She seemed distracted, perhaps eager to get back to her new interest at the bar. Nick leaned in to hug her, perhaps kiss her, and she turned him away. She shut off from him and he took the hint, backing up and adjusting his tie with dignity. "I… will see you around sometime. Have a good night, Silvia."

"Good night, Nicholas." They parted ways and he left the bustling restaurant behind him, hearing the chatter and happy mammals growing quieter behind him as he walked down the avenue with his head lowered and paws stuffed in his pockets.

The sidewalk was empty, and the dull orange glow of streetlights blotted his stroll every so often. He came to a junction and turned opposite of his homeward direction to go into Bridgette's Breads, the bakery he and his fellow officers often visited among their long days on the force for sandwiches, donuts, coffee and the like. The door jingled as he walked in, and Pan the old goat greeted him while he swept the floor.

"You're out late, laddy."

"Hi Pan, I was out on a date." Nick replied to him as he slumped down at a table. The establishment was empty of customers, and only a few minutes from closing. "Could I get a blueberry muffin?" He asked. The goat retrieved one from the display and sat it before him on a little square napkin.

"Free of charge, laddy. But I have to wonder how ya date went since ya came here and all."

"It was… great! Just left a little hungry." The goat smirked, he knew better and Nick wasn't trying that hard to hide it, or perhaps the Bonvignon was getting to his head and couldn't hide it well. "Really, it was great."

"Are ya trying to convince me, or ya self?" Nick put a paw to his face.

"She really is a wonderful fox, and I really like her… She's everything I ever wanted." Pan expressed his realizations with a sour grimace and sat in the chair across from Nick as he took a longing bite of the magnificent tasting muffin.

"Sometimes, laddy, what we want isn't always what we need. I have a story to tell ya. I once fell madly in love with a Llama, and she was lovely as the moon, but o'er time I learned she wasn't the lady for me. She was a good lot arrogant and made me feel a fool, and I came to this very same bakery. Right there in the corner I sat, 'cause my date with this beautiful Llama was a right ruddy mess. And here, Maeveen came up to me, asked if I wanted anything, and she was a sweet 'n kind soul. She would listen to me talk of my days, and I saw 'er everyday for a year, I delivered ingredients from Bunnyburrow to the bakery here, and one day, a great subtle love came to us. The sorta thing like what comes when you look with yer heart, not with yer eyes." A door opened in the back, and out came Pan's wife, the same Maeveen he spoke of. Her kind eyes and gentle soul remained evident despite time chipping away at her youth. Nick took the last bite of his muffin, satisfied and listening as she chimed in.

"Aye, ya tell that story to all a lonely heart that come in, Pan." She said, walking by to wipe down the tables and finish closing the shop, making it ready for the next day.

"My dear, that's why we stay open." Nick smiled at the old goat, valuing his wisdom and knowledge, but also noting the dynamic between these old goats and their time-tested love.

"Thanks, Pan." Nick said sincerely. The goat gave a smile and a wink as Nick left the little shop. The sign flipped from 'yes we're open' to 'sorry we're closed' and a few lights dimmed. Maeveen walked up to Pan from behind and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek to say the day was done.

Nick walked towards his apartment several blocks away, and at least he had the distance and the time to think.

The next morning was a nothing like the previous for Judy. She dragged herself out of bed late, and her eyes itched from the makeup she tried to impress Nick with. The world around her was hollow, no sunlight yet, as if it's warmth was omitting itself from her, and the gray early sky blanketed Zootopia in a dull tarnish like nothing would ever be able to restore its brilliance. Everyone around her sleepily went to their tiresome workplaces, just as she did, and she already anticipated the moment when she could clock out and crawl home to the place she merely existed within. She got a coffee from the break room, she felt she desperately needed it, and sipped on it with a lack of joy after it had already burned her tongue and bittered her sense of taste. She slumped in her desk waiting for Nick to arrive, who happened to be even later than she was. At last, the orange fox walked in. His posture was slouched, eyes cast down, he talked to nobody and he came right up to their desk.

"Good morning, Carrots." He said a little under his breath. He seemed down, if not defeated. Judy shot a look to him and noticed his poor expression, curious of his demeanor.

"How was your date?" She asked like a thorn.

"It was… great!" He fibbed, keeping his expression cheery and bright. It didn't make Judy feel any better, but she could see through the ruse and a spark of hope ignited. She didn't say anything for a moment, letting Nick's exterior soften and fail on its own as she pried.

"So are you still seeing each other?"

"I don't know…" Nick sighed. He shrugged and stuck his paws in his pockets. He took her coffee from the desk and sipped it, but he too made the mistake she had and he burned his tongue. With a strained swallow, he gasped for a breath of air.

"Ow, hot!" He exclaimed. Judy sat her head on her hand and smiled spitefully at the dumb fox.

"Serves you right."

"Wuh?" He asked with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Nothing!" She chimed at him. There was a buzz from her pocket, she picked up her phone and saw she received a text from her mother.

"Hey, hun. Been wondering if you were coming to the Carrot Days festival? Miss you lots!" Judy missed her old stomping grounds too much, and would love to go and see everyone again. The home cooked meals, the company of her family, maybe she could introduce Nick to the festival.

"Nick? The Carrot Days festival is this weekend. Want to go?" Nick gave her an odd look and wasn't sure if she was serious.

"You want to take me, a fox, to a place with a thousand rabbits?"

"Four thousand, and yes! I'm taking you. There'll be games and great food, and a dance in the evening. I don't really dance but I want to try…" Nick smirked at her, checking the calendar on his phone. There was a blip from it.

"Got it marked on my calendar. I'm sure if I'm with you, I won't get mobbed by angry bunnies."

"Not at all!" She scoffed. She hopped over and she bumped into him with her hip. "I think you'll find that some bunnies kinda like you." She, of course, was referring to herself. She was feeling better about her interest in him. Perhaps he just needed to get knocked down a few pegs before he was at the right height to notice her. Judy turned to her desk to do some paperwork, and Nick left to walk through the lobby to go to the break room for coffee creamer.

Almost leaving the lobby, he had barely noticed that Silvia had walked in. Nick glanced at Judy walking around with paperwork, and he was lucky she didn't see her come in. Nick rushed up to to the silver fox.

"Silvia, hi! Uhm, what're you doing here?" She was dressed in her business suit and held both a folder and a briefcase. She looked at him with expectation.

"Nicholas, glad you're here, I need your help."

"That's great but could we just… talk right over here." Nick pulled her off to the side of Clawhauser's desk, out of any line of sight from Judy if she were to look around.

"Ok." she began. "I have a case and I know the guy is innocent. The prosecution is relying on an absent police report, a report you have." Nick knew what she was after, but giving a police report to someone outside of the official judicial system was illegal. Nick weighed the favor for a moment.

"Are you sure this guy is innocent, if you're pulling my tail, we're both in big trouble." Silvia anxiously rocked back and forth in her stance and Nick studied her mannerisms, carefully trying to judge her intentions. "Who's the client?" He asked, convinced.

"Samuel Smalls." Nick held a single finger up signaling for her to wait. He quickly jogged down to records next to the boiler, and thought he'd make a clean steal, but he nearly collided with Clawhauser. A little surprised, he tried to play it cool.

"Hey Clawhauser, fancy meeting you here! Heh…" Clawhauser gave him a sarcastic glance and fired back.

"I know right? I work here too, imagine that! Can I help you find something?" Nick was in a hurry and couldn't do this dance right now, so he blurted out what he needed.

"Report for a Samuel Smalls case?"

"Ah! That's right here actually. Ya know that guy is totally innocent, right? Any good lawyer would set the whole thing straight in a heartbeat. Poor guy..." He held the file out and Nick took it, head cocked sideways in disbelief, and with wide eyes he replied.

"That... helps a lot, thanks." And it was back upstairs with him.

He looked around and called Silvia over to a place around the corner he knew was a blind spot for Bogo's cameras. He held the file out but flipped it back out of her grasp as he made his demand.

"Before I give this to you, you will repay me with a big legal favor one day, do you agree?"

"...Yes." She chose hesitantly. Nick let her take the file. She hid it in the existing folder she had in her arms and smiled at him.

"Oh Nicholas, thank you so much!" She looked into his eyes, and some kind of emotion came between them, and she leaned in to kiss him.

"Silvia Fawkes, right?" A particularly chipper bunny voice came. Judy was approaching and Nick's nerves were already fried from the stress of having these two near each other.

"Judy!" Nick said as he stepped between them. "Yeah, she was just-"

"Thanking you for something, what's up?" She pried with an examining look on her face. Nick ran his paw over his head to smooth the hairs standing up and tried to recompose, he couldn't escape those big rabbit ears. He stalled and began to talk.

"Silvia, this is my… Partner. Judy Hopps." Judy smiled nicely and extended her paw to shake on it.

"Nice to meet you," Judy said, but Silvia just looked at her paw, leaving it to hang awkwardly in the air. "Anyway… Bogo has some announcements in a few minutes, don't be late." Judy walked off towards the bullpen. Nick let out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding while Silvia stood close and spoke in a quiet tone.

"A bunny cop? How did she ever get on the force? I feel sorry for you having THAT as your partner. How many times a day does she screw up?" Nick was beginning to get irritated with Silvia.

"She's a good cop." Nick defended her but it didn't seem to chip Silvia's judgments of Judy.

"You don't have any interest in that bunny, do you? That's just inappropriate." Nick was torn in two over her remark. He almost burst out but remained calm enough to answer without making a scene.

"No… she's uh… just my partner." Silvia smiled in approval, glad to know that Nick had expressed the same standard as herself. Nick felt she was possibly warming up to him, and he had been helpful, useful even, and maybe she valued him in return.

"With that aside, what are you doing this weekend?" Silvia asked. Nick palmed his forehead and could hardly believe she had asked. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry, I already have plans to go to Carrot Days with-"

"Oh! I always wanted to go! I heard Bunnyburrow has the best fresh blueberries around." Nick couldn't help but agree with her, and Judy's family had the best he knows. "Hey, let's go together! You and I. I've never actually been out of the city so it'll be a lot of fun!" Nick rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. Silvia took notice of his anxious tick and came close to him. "It'd be so embarrassing if you were the only fox there." Judy was coming back and waving her arm at Nick. He was cutting everything close and this needed to end now.

"Ok, sure! I'll meet you there."

"Excellent!" Silvia exclaimed. Judy had drawn too near and overheard a part of their conversation. Nick was beginning to wonder about her curiosity involving him and Silvia.

"Nick, what's going on?" She asked. Silvia got the hint and dismissed herself.

"I need to get back to the courthouse. Thank you, Nicholas, I will keep my end of the bargain." She left with a dominant stride across the lobby. Nick was glad she was gone but he had a whole other girl to worry about now.

"Bogo's waiting on you." She said. Nick tried to step by but she blocked him with her body. "Not until you tell me what's going on first." Nick tensed and twiddled his fingers nervously. He shrugged and told her.

"Silvia… wants to come to Carrot Days." He said in a shameful tone to her. Judy's face sunk, and her heart encumbered.

"Why?" She whispered out.

"She just wanted to come and she's never been outside the city." Judy held her arms to herself and her ears couldn't be any more droopy.

"Well, the more the merrier, right?" Judy told him. "Nick…" She looked deep into his eyes and made sure he was listening before she spoke again. When she had his attention, she continued. "I… I just want you to be happy." She turned around and slowly walked back to the bullpen where everyone was waiting on him. He took a moment to think, finally out into a clear space to do so. He didn't want to break it off with Silvia, she was a strong foxy woman and Nick felt that something could come of a relationship between them. He rubbed his forehead and started to make himself present for the waiting Chief, and was yet more bothered by Judy's words. She just wanted him to be happy.

Nick knocked on the door to his mother's townhouse. The weekend was upon him and he wondered if his mom was home. She answered almost immediately anyway and was happy to see that her little boy had decided to visit.

"Nick, puppy, please come in, it's so nice to see you." She pulled him in by the shoulder and let the door swing close.

"Mom, I'm not a pup anymore."

"You're still my puppy. Now, what brings you here unannounced?" Nick sat down on her plush couch in her dated but well-decorated living room and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I've met someone." He admitted. He wasn't excited about it but was rather morose in his delivery of the news.

"OH! Don't tell me! It's-"

"Silvia Fawkes." He interrupted. Mrs. Wilde was thrown off and instantly baffled.

"The lawyer from the billboards?" Her face was dashed with worry for her son. She knew something wasn't right already.

"The same. I mean, hear me out, she's-"

"-funny, friendly, big-hearted, optimistic, intelligent, loyal, caring, forgiving, and she's short. Yes, I know. Puppy, you say the same thing about every girly you meet and we both know she's not any of those things. I know where those ideals come from." She sat next to him and put a paw on his knee. "You're describing Whitney Blanford, that actress you idolized when you were nine." He looked off to the side, partially hiding his face from showing his embarrassment of intimate exposure. "If she really is all of those things, why have you come to see me?"

"Because," He started, "I don't want to become like pops." Mrs. Wilde's expression sank. She knew what he was worried about, she worried about it too.

"You're nothing like your father, but you're beginning to be, in a way. You're being reckless." Nick shot a puff of air through pursed lips and shook his head.

"How? How am I being reckless? I'm seeing things through. When things got tough, he split, leaving us to fend for ourselves. He left nothing and we scraped by. I hate him every day because he abandoned us." Nick gripped his head with his paws and recoiled into the couch. Mrs. Wilde put her arms around him and held onto the frustrated fox.

"Come now, puppy. He chased all sorts of vixens before I managed to win him over. He had his ideals too, and swore by them, and he was so blind to the one person who really loved him for who he was. Eventually, my wiles won him over… after besting him fencing combat… after I stole his wallet. It was complicated, and so romantic." Nick cleared his face of his paws and slouched forward in the seat. He was still for a moment, collected in on himself, and gained a little understanding.

"Why did he leave us?" It was the question he wanted to ask for nearly his whole life. He was grown now, but Mrs. Wilde deemed him still not ready. The look of determination in his eyes gave the need for her to say something other than the truth.

"Your father betrayed my trust."

"Quit hiding it! What actually happened mom!? Give me something, anything!" Mrs. Wilde shook his head.

"I can't tell you..." She whispered.

"Can't, or won't? Mom, it's been long enough. I've grown up, I'm ready." His mom looking longingly into his eyes, and with all the courage she could muster, she responded.

"No." Nick was enraged, approached her and got nose to nose with his mom.

"Tell me why!" Mrs. Wilde grabbed Nick by the chin, holding him firmly as she peered into his eyes. She could sense his determination for the truth and matched her gaze. Mrs. Wilde took a breath to say something, and couldn't bring herself to tell him no again. Nick shook his chin from her fingers, and stayed vigilant, still needing his answer. She didn't want to hurt him, or make his pain worse. She sighed and relaxed, and began as she knew it.

"Your tenth birthday, your father and I had a wonderful surprise for you. We had tickets to one of Whitney Blanford's shows. The theatre was sold out and your father got them somehow." Nick froze and thought for a moment.

"But, we never saw a show. What happened?" His mom took a deep breath and continued.

"He had a gambling addiction, and sometimes it was the only source of income for us when business was slow. I'll admit sometimes you're father got lucky, but at the same time he was… reckless. He lost the tickets in a bet. I was… so SO furious with him! He lost your birthday gift!" Nick thought about the moment. To his perspective, things seemed different.

"I remember that. You seemed mad when he gave me his red handkerchief instead. He said it was the first piece of my Ranger Scout uniform and I loved it. It made my birthday special. My dream started coming true." His mom had a sad expression across her orange face, and Nick knew what happened shortly after that. "Mom?" He asked. "He left after that. Where did he go? I have to find him. I have the resources to track him-"

"You can't." She interrupted. Astounded, Nick pressed the issue.

"Why not? I have to find him, I have to know what happened and why!" His mom sighed when she saw the hope and determination in his eyes. She never intended to hurt him, and she had to tell him the truth before he found out on his own. It was best if he learned it from her.

"Ok. I'll tell you what happened."

Piberius stood in the dark alley listening to the smooth jazz float down, harmonizing with the snows of Tundra Town. He didn't care where the song came from, the jive tune rested on his shoulder like the frost, sticking to him and warming his mind from the chill of the night air. After the long day, he was looking forward to going home and seeing his wife and boy tonight. He'd spent the day in the cold district, from before the sun laid any heat on the snow covered lanes, to the now when the moon watched, silently waxing. His business needed to come to a close, he impatiently bit into the end of a toothpick to sate his nervous habit, and promised himself and his family that this was the last job. The door across from him in the private alley opened, laying its yellow light on his orange face.

"About time." He muttered to the silhouette towering in the doorway.

"Boss will see you now." The polar bear invited him in. Piberius entered and brushed the snow from his coat and let the bear take it from him with accommodation. He adjusted his green vest and tie and walked into the parlor. The eyes upon him leered on his senses, knowing he could drop any of them in single combat. The bear led him into the small office, and on the desk, sat a tiny shrew.

"Good evening, Mr. Big." He cooed at the shrew. Piberius leaned in and carefully kissed the minuscule emerald ring on his pinky.

"Aw so…" The tiny shrew spoke. The polar bears at his side stood in service awaiting command. "Here you are, once again. Been awhile Pibe."

"Never too long to see an old friend." He agreed. "Business first, then pleasure." The shrew chuckled meekly but reserved his talk of business.

"What's the rush, Pibe, have somewhere you'd rather be?"

"Got a boy at home. He's growing up so fast, wants to join the ranger scouts some day." He smiled proudly, and it was an honest one. Mr. Big shared in this delight and remembered his own daughter.

"My daughter is a handful, but as parents, what can we do if we can't do our best. We can be creatures of, what could I say, imperfection." Piberius agreed with a nod. "Your boy could work for me some day, he seems like a good kid, I need good people, people I can trust." Mr. Big stood up from his tiny chair and smoothed his hair back. "I trust you Pibe, impeccably I do." Piberius leaned on the wooden desk and reminded the shrew why he had come.

"Now that we're all caught up, business is booming I hope?" The shrew hummed once and snapped his tiny fingers. A polar bear brought out an ornate oak box and opened it before Piberius to show him a few rings and a couple fancy necklaces. He whistled at the fine jewelry and commented.

"I bet those are worth a pretty penny."

"Don't be fooled, they're fake. The box is worth more than the jewels. The job is to sell them at a market price, though." Piberius snickered.

"You need my connections?" He asked. The shrew nodded with another hum and confirmed.

"That's the idea. Distribute to established storefronts, no street vendors, too tacky, not my style." The shrew signaled again and the polar bear brought out a small box and opened it. Inside was a locket. "This is a gift from me to you, from one father to another." Piberius held up the gold oval encasing, popping it open and seeing the inside. It was blank, but he already knew which pictures of his wife and little boy he would place inside.

"Thank you, Mr. Big. It's nice." Piberius unbuttoned the top button and pulled his silver leaf on a chain. He fiddled with the clasp and Mr. Big remarked.

"You still remain faithful, Pibe. Why do you believe?"

"Keeps me lucky, I guess." The fox told him. His senses pinged, and he knew something was wrong instantly.

"Lucky you say? You pulled out the wire you're wearing." The shrew said calmly. The jig was up, and the sting had come to an abrupt end. The polar bears surrounding him closed in and readied their claws for a fight. "Looks like your luck has run out, it's been fun, Pibe… ICE 'EM!" Piberius flicked the locket into Mr. Big, knocking him back against the desk as a bear grabbed at the back of his shirt. He twisted, escaping the grip and elbowing the lumbering brute in the gut, followed by a heaving flip over his shoulder with all of his might. The next bear came in quick to catch him. Piberius leaped and bicycled a strong foot to the jaw and rebounded off to get out of the door.

The parlor reacted, rising to the commotion and at the emerging fox in polar bear territory. He was outnumbered ten to one. He gripped his weapon of choice. The extendable baton shot outward, and its heavy weight balanced in his paw then illuminated with electricity.

"Now it's a party!" He called out before springing into the rushing bunch of bears. One clawed at him and the slippery fox dodged backward out of reach, and the bear was met with a jolt of his baton to the side. Another came from behind him and he was smacked in the face and kicked down into submission under the pain. Piberius and his fencing talents were all too suitable for one on one, but not when four came at him in a line he couldn't break. The front door crashed in, and from the splinters, rolled in the large partner of his, Chase Clawhauser. With his stunner out and aimed before him in a blink of an eye, he fired two rounds of electric paint at two of the assailants closing in on Piberius. The odds had evened for the fox and he broke the line with a well-placed jab and a swift kick. Behind Chase came in the young officer Bogo, his stunner held outwards from him, hands trembling at the chaos of the scene. His eyes unable to track the movements of any of the polar bears, or his partners. His arm wavered and his paw shook, Bogo was too green, too much of a rookie to be effective.

"Pick one and shoot!" Chase yelled at Bogo, who decided to paint a bear rising from the floor with the electric substance. The fight continued until there were only a few left, most incapacitated or surrendered. Bogo moved further into the room, still nervous from the ordeal. The situation had come under their control in a short amount of time. Piberius chuckled in a tired cadence, exhausted from the fighting.

"Not bad boys, looks like this one is in the bag. Nice shooting, southpaw." Chase gave him a nod as he caught his breath. Piberius palmed the dangling leaf from around his neck. "Aw dang, it got scratched!" The once smooth-finished leaf now adorned a claw mark across its side. He sighed and checked the backside, still untarnished or worn, and still saying Wilde. He retracted his baton and stashed it back in its place on his belt.

Chase and Bogo kept their stunners trained on the fallen henchman. Chase was on the old CB radio calling the sting a success and the case was coming to a close. Piberius walked calmly up to the bar and found a new toothpick from a little cup. He plucked one out from it and laid it on his lip. With powerful speed and surprise, a polar bear in a thick material coat erupted from behind the bar and lunged at the fox who had been off guard and vulnerable. Not only was the bear's claws a threat, the knife in them was worse. He slammed into him, letting the knife find a home in his chest. Piberius fell in shock, unable to respond or react in his defense. The bear charged the nearest officer, Bogo. He shot at the bear, painting the lapel of his coat ineffectively and Bogo panicked. Chase aimed, but the bear was too close to Bogo already to slow him down at all, and in an instant, Chase leaped at Bogo, shoving him out of the way of the rampaging bear. Chase's mass met the force of the larger bear, and the two collided like a wrecking ball and a brick building, crumbling over one another, Chase bending backward and his strength compromised. They both hit a table and the wall with a crack and a distinct snap no one wants to hear when someone falls. Bogo shot the bear in the back of the head with his stunner and rolled the bear off. Chase, breathing hard, asked in straining agony.

"...Wilde?..." Bogo looked to him, slumped on the wooden floor, his posture slack, and his leaf laid on the floor with a broken loop, detached from him and its chain. Bogo said nothing, he couldn't. Chase grabbed Bogo's shirt and pulled him close.

"You're gonna be a great officer..." He coughed. His chest was crushed and lungs collapsed, his life faded out and was gone before the rookie's eyes. Bogo got up, numb with the surreality of this untimely resolution. He slowly approached Piberius and picked the leaf from the floor, and made it his mission to honor the memories of these two fine heroes.

He pulled the CB radio from his belt and called it in.

Nick stood up and looked at the damaged leaf in his palm. He was choking back his tears, trying not to show how much it bothered him.

"I'm... just like him…" He spoke the truth in a flat tone. His mom walked to the cabinet in her living room and retrieved a little wooden box. Inside was a folded flag, and his badge. Nick picked it up and read the Piberius Wilde lettering on the ornate golden crest.

"Your father never worked for the ZPD, he was a private eye and a fringe agent that had a foot on both sides. He was a good friend of Clawhauser, and the closest thing he ever had to a partner. This flag and honorary badge were a gift from the department... for his sacrifice… He helped solve a lot of mysteries, saved a lot of lives..." Nick would never have, nor could have, seen this coming. It paralyzed him, and his mother did well to keep it a secret from him. He was very much his father's son. His father, too, was friends with a Clawhauser. The world was beginning to feel smaller and thought to possibly ask the young Clawhauser about this some day. Perhaps to remember and reminisce on their legacies, and put the pieces together.

"Why haven't you told me this sooner? This changes everything." He asked.

"How could I? You were so young and filled with hope." She answered quickly. "You're father betrayed us, then he accepted one last undercover job for the ZPD to make up for it. Sure, we needed the money, but there had to have been a better way! I never liked it when he went undercover, it was always so dangerous and he thought he was so lucky. I hate him for being such a fool, to test fate, and look what happened!" Nick had to separate himself from her before his eyes welled up too much to hold it in. "Puppy, I want the best for you, and I don't trust that lawyer you're seeing." She admitted. "Please, I hope you also understand how you are different from your father too. You want to be a good person and that's not enough, you're my son too, so use your smarts. I can only hope that you can see the one who loves you every day." Nick turned and hugged his mother.

"Aw, I love you too, mom." She chuckled.

"I wasn't talking about me. That partner of yours, Judy. I saw it in her eyes at your housewarming party. She really likes you." Nick shook his head and turned his whole body towards his mom, throwing his paws out to each side.

"We're just partners, we work together. Besides, she's a bunny."

"She matches your 'funny, friendly, big-hearted, optimistic, intelligent, loyal, caring, forgiving, and short' ideals perfectly." She repeated. There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Wilde hopped up to answer. "Oh good, I was hoping he'd come a little early."

"Who's here, mom?" Nick asked as she opened the door. His mom greeted her guest with a joyous welcome, and she was very happy to see this guy.

"Robert, I'm so glad you were able to come!" She hugged the bobcat that stood taller than her. Nick rubbed his eyes and thought this was a joke. "Nick, this is Robert, my boyfriend."

"Hey, Nick, a pleasure to meet you." He reached out to shake paws, and Nick stood unmoving. He looked the bobcat up and down once and disapproved.

"Mom," He asked, "can I talk to you in the kitchen?" He pulled her into the other room and spoke in a quiet tone to be unheard. "What're you thinking!?" His mom immediately took a stance against him.

"What's the matter? He's a wonderful guy!"

"He's a bobcat!"

"He's a gentle caring person! He treats me well and he loves me." Nick held his forehead as if his head hurt from all of this. "I love him too." She added.

"He's not a fox. He's not one of our kind." His mom was becoming angry with him and his ignorance. She closed the distance between them and poked a finger to her son's nose.

"I raised you better than this! I fell in love with a reckless fox, and now you know how that ended! I did my best to raise you without your father, and now I'm trying something different, loving someone new after all of these hard years, all of the hardship! Why can't you be happy for me?"

"This is all messing up my memory of pops! Now you're the one betraying HIM!" Mrs. Wilde leaned into him and grabbed his chin again. He shook loose of her grasp then stopped and thought about things for a moment. Interspecies relationships were becoming a new thing, something he tolerated and hardly understood, yet it still felt unnatural to Nick as all he wanted to do was try to follow his ideal and what he thought was best. For so long, he had cared only about himself and his own way. His romantic views reflected the perfect harmony that illusioned itself in the world, and he still remembered the imposed expectations placed upon him by society. His father was a hero and he never knew. He assumed he was just an untrustworthy fox, just another orange-furred stereotype, but Piberius Wilde channeled those innate abilities to his advantage. His father was more than a fox, and so was he if he was his son. It made him feel proud and unique, and in the next thought, he had come to realize everyone was unique and it was better that way.

Robert came into the kitchen timidly and held Mrs. Wilde's shoulders. A gentle and caring demeanor surrounded him, and he was far from the boisterous stereotype that clung to bobcats, he was gentle.

"Is everything ok, Norma?" He asked her. For a moment, Nick saw his father in him. This gesture of placing his paws on his mother's shoulders, being there for her, was a thing his father did often, and he had received this reassurance on several occasions. It was like an unspoken term meaning that he had his back, and no matter what challenges awaited, he'd be there. Even when he had left, his mother kept the simple gestural tradition, remembering his first night as a Ranger Scout, remembering that his father would have been so proud of him. Maybe he was good for her despite his opinion of the differences, and it was just that, his opinion, who was he to judge. There were many interspecies couples around that were perfect for each other, notably Clawhauser and Gazelle, but when the idea was applied to his own mother, everything changed. Two unique puzzle pieces can come together to be more than they are individually, and even more so, opposites truly do attract. For the first time, a far more profound understanding enlightened him, rolled through him to become a part of him, and his world changed forever. He wouldn't deny her if she was happy, he didn't have it within him to, and certainly wished not to hurt her. He would never risk losing her too, he would never be reckless like his pops, for better or worse. He just wanted her to be happy, that's all. He spoke to Robert on his mom's behalf.

"Everything is perfect." He said with a smile. She held Nick's paw and gave them a comforting squeeze.

"Puppy, please trust me, that lawyer you're dating will disappoint you. Don't look with your eyes, but look with your heart. Make a good choice." Nick sighed, hearing that phrase once again, and looked at Robert then to his mom.

"Thanks, mom." He gripped her paws tightly for a second more and let them go. He shook Robert's paw as he passed by. "Take good care of her." Was all he said. He walked out the front door with nothing more than another smile at his mom. She smiled back from the gentle arms of her bobcat, and with a wave of his paw and a click of the door, Nick was off to find a nice shirt to wear to the festival. He left his mom to enjoy the rest of her afternoon with her new love.

Judy stood in complete anticipation beneath the decorated wooden arch that served as the gateway to the Carrot Days festival. The midway grounds in the evening had lights strewn about, and carrot shaped lanterns hung on ropes tied to the many stalls. The main attraction was the circular dance stage set up in the center of it all. Everything was illuminated in wonder, everyone was having a good time. Judy had put on makeup again, and this time, she will make sure Nick took notice of it. She wore a lavender dress that matched her eyes, and a small loop of white flowers circled one ear, culturally signifying her as an available maiden. She had taken the train to arrive early as Nick said he would come a little later.

Nick pulled up in the borrowed police cruiser and parked it, locked it with a chirp, and approached with a bouquet of violets in his paw. His dapper yellow shirt made him look warmer, distinguished, even could go as far as debonair. He came nearer, close enough for Judy to acknowledge him though she had watched him from afar, and she welcomed him.

"Well, this is it, it's Carrot Days!"

"Quite the shindig." Nick commented as he looked around at all of the bunnies' hard work. "So when's the part where bunnies run and scream from fear of me." Judy turned around and announced her family.

"Well, the Hopps family just arrived so-" In a wall of bunnies and noise, dozens crowded Judy and Nick, eager to see her again and eager to meet her esteemed partner. "I may have talked about you a little bit!" Judy mentioned.

"I thought they'd be afraid of me, I have more reason to be afraid of them, they're everywhere!" There were so many bunnies hanging on Nick that he was losing his balance. "I'm going down!" He cried.

"Isn't it great! Oh, I missed you guys so much!" Judy yelled from a massive group hug of a dozen of her siblings. "Ok, ok, leave Nick alone, he needs his strength for dancing!" They left him in a rush, save one. Hannah had attached herself to his tail.

"Hey sweetheart, how're you doing?" Judy asked Hannah.

"Soft..." She quietly spoke as she snuggled his tail. Her little blue dress was adorable on her, and Judy was glad she was here trying to fit in with other bunnies, though her eyes still looked a little strained and weary, perhaps even nervous. Letting go of Nick's tail, she quietly and calmly joined the party, going right to the snack table.

"Wow, I saw my life flash before my eyes." He said as he adjusted his shirt and tie.

"Everyone really likes you, and don't worry about the fox thing, our farm works with foxes so it's all good." He finished adjusting his attire and arranged the violets he brought. Judy's mother and father, Bonnie and Stu Hopps, came to them in a joyous fashion.

"Oh Judy, it's so good to see you in person and not through the phone!" Bonnie greeted as Stu strolled up to Nick and placed his paw on his back, pulling him away from the ladies. He leaned in to talked to Nick privately and pulled on his tie.

"If you hurt her, I want you to know that I have a shovel, a lot of land, and a hundred friends that can back up my story. You understand me, buster?" Nick was petrified at the threat. He couldn't think of anything to say so he simply nodded. Stu's expression changed from scary papa-bear to a fluffy friend in an instant. "Good! You two go cut a rug and have fun tonight, ok?" Judy and Nick were clear to go into the round dance area underneath the starry sky above. Judy bashfully approached Nick, wondering if he was going to give her that lovely bouquet of violets he was holding.

"So, here we are…"

"Yep." Nick agreed. He turned and faced outward from the dance, still standing beneath the arch. He held the bouquet behind him and stood upright with dignity. Judy stepped up beside him to ask.

"Well, it looks like Silvia isn't coming. How about some food? I'm starving!"

"You go ahead," Nick told her. "I want to wait for her, hope you don't mind, I'm eager to see her." Judy couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't believe that she had hoped so much, and told everyone, and he was going to choose Silvia over her. Her nose wiggled with the approaching sadness, ears drooping, and eyes welling up.

"Nick... are you sure? I'm right here, all you have to do is look at me… please see me..." Nick didn't move, he remained still and proper, looking out and waiting for the silver fox.

"I'll wait for Silvia. I want to dance with her when she gets here."

"Oh… well… I hope she makes you very happy, and you two have a good time tonight." She slowly dragged her feet off to get a bite to eat. Holding back the sound of her weeping, she didn't want to let him know how much he had broken her heart.

Almost an hour went by and the dumb fox was still waiting for Silvia. He checked the clock on his phone and realized this with aggravation. He fingered through the numbers and gave her a call. It rang a few times before a voice came on.

"Hello?" It was some guy, and became instantly suspicious.

"Hi, is Ms. Fawkes available?"

"Nah bruh, she's busy." Nick was in denial and had to know.

"Aw, ok. May I ask who this is?"

"Yeah, this is Tod, her boyfriend, who's this?" Nick was speechless. His mom was right, and he had been betrayed, and subsequently disappointed. The mere fact that she had at least two boyfriends wrote pages in his mind about her romantic interests.

"Oh, nobody." He answered and hung up. If he wasn't before, he was garbage now. Feeling the sting in his heart that she was nothing like who he thought she was, who he wanted her to be. His mom's words echoed in his head and he stared into the violets in his paw, having no one to give them to.

He faced and entered the dance midway alone and looked upon the numerous couples slow dancing together, holding each other lovingly, and some even sharing a tender kiss. The song lulled on and he slowly paced to the long table of various fruits and vegetables. He was starving by now and munched on a few blueberries as he poured himself a drink of apple cider. The filled dance area with all of the bunnies and assorted guests, even the sky with its countless stars, couldn't be enough company for him to cheer up. He felt like such a fool, and he had ignored every warning that slapped him in the face.

The band on the stage shifted quietly into a new song. When they settled their instruments, a cool bunny with sunglasses started a very familiar piano riff even Nick knew. He couldn't quite believe the band of bunnies were playing a popular and groovy number. He loved the song and it always got him moving when he heard it on the radio. Apparently, everyone else liked it too, a flood of rabbits, sheep, even a couple of foxes came to the dance floor, one dragging another by the paw to dance altogether. For a moment, the very space around him was all in rhythm and flow. He looked around at the spectacle when he noticed one particular bunny in a lavender dress sitting still on a chair in a corner. Judy silently ate a piece of carrot cake by herself, staring off into the universe somewhere on the ground. Nick felt his heart stir for her, his mind had given up on his ideals and standards to be better surfaced with a torrent of compassion for her. She was down and pitiful, and should be dancing with the crowd. No, she should be dancing with him! He jogged over to her and stopped, and she looked up at him. He held the flowers out to her, her face illuminating with elation and surprise that they were for her after all. She smelled them, almost rolling her face in them, and she loved him for the gift.

"Care to dance?" She didn't even answer before Nick gripped her paw and pulled her into the mass of movement and glee up on the raised dance floor. She tossed the bouquet in the seat where she had been idle and let her cake spill to the soil below. Nick hadn't a clue what to do next and looked to mimic the movements of everyone else. The one-two stomp-and-clap beat of the song had everyone hopping in unison, and the electrifying energy washed over them both. Judy got into the hop-dancing fully, and she laughed with him, he could barely keep up with her or any of the agile bunnies around him. Holding both her paws, he swung her around off the ground once and then lead her to dance in close circles. To be a part of the group in this way was a magical thing for the both of them. As their feet pounded the floor, Nick realized the large platform was a giant round wooden drum, and everyone was the mallet that impacted its deep resonating note into existence. The music and bouncing bass rhythm set their very hearts to the same beat, and they were happy to be together. The song ended in a slow fade of its melody, and everyone cheered and clapped. Nick collapsing to his knees in exhaustion, meeting eye to eye with his energetic bunny girl. He hugged her in close and embraced her, kissing her as if he had missed her for years.

Nick drove as Judy laid across the seat of the police cruiser, letting her ears flop over his lap and resting her head against his leg, violets held firmly in her paws. Nick placed an arm around her and held her close. He never wanted to let her go ever again, not for any stupid notion he might have, and he would never betray her trust, nor her love.

"So…" She asked her fox. "Why was my dad carrying around a shovel all night?" Nick tensed for a moment, feeling like he had dodged a huge bullet.

"I have no idea." He told her. He turned down a street and put the cruiser in park. "Ok, we're here."

"Where?" Judy asked as she sat up. She looked around for a moment and recognized the neighborhood, they were at Nick's apartment. "Oh, we're at your place!"

"Yeah I thought you'd like to come up and watch a movie." He held up a copy of My Big Fat Elephant Wedding. "Can you believe someone just tossed this in the trash, it's never been opened. There was also a card, it said 'You are the only guy for me, you are the love of my life.' Can you believe it? Someone must have upset someone at the office and they trashed their gift. Whoever it was, was a moron." Judy couldn't tell if he was talking about himself or not. "I bet it was Fangmeyer. He has a crush on someone, haven't figured out who it is yet. I mean, I know it's not me, at least I don't think so."

"I told you he's married." Judy giggled. She would never tell him what really happened, nor would she ever spoil this moment for her dumb fox. It was in the past now, and they had a whole new future together to look forward to.


	4. Chapter 4: Lambsong

Chapter 4: Lambsong

Judy fumbled with her keys, looking for the one to unlock her door, and finally came home after a seemingly boring day. Amidst her pile of paperwork at her desk at ZPD, a fat envelope was mailed to her. It was addressed from the prison, from Bellwether. She didn't have time to open and read it at work so she brought it home to read at her leisure. After landing home in her dim apartment and changing from her uniform to her evening shirt, she sliced the top of the envelope open, and pulled out a thick stack of paw-written pages on lined yellow paper. This was the most Bellwether had written, most of the time her letters consisted of minor banter, and she and the sheep went back and forth about their days and thoughts. She unfolded the stack, laid down on her bed, and began to read.

"Mother!" Dawn called out as she came through the giant oakwood door. The smaller than average sheep had proudly arrived home on a Friday in the fourth grade. She came home to a large wealthy house standing off the end of a cul-de-sac in the esteemed Hamshire Heights. It was her parents' house where they managed their lives and went on about their business venturing. "Mother!" She called again across the echoing foyer, hoping to hear some acknowledgment in return. Dawn dropped her heavy backpack full of books and pulled her homework out of a folder, adjusting her glasses and seeing the good grade marked at the top of the page. "Mother?" She walked back to the study where her mother sat at an executive cherry wood desk, trimmed with fine brass and ornate filigree. Her mother sat staring at the spreadsheets on the desk's surface, tapping a pen against her nose thinking hard about the problem presenting itself on the page. Her mother had a long way to go to balance the finances of the Bellwether household. "Mother! I got an A-plus on my math homework!" Her mother paid no attention to her good news, she just continued jotting notes and numbers down on a scratch paper trying to find the right figures.

"Ugh, what's fourteen percent of 2,441…" Her mother sighed to herself. Dawn perked up and tipped her nose up over the edge of the desk.

"341.74!" Dawn blurted out the answer. Her mother jotted it down without any acknowledgment of where the answer came from. Dawn flapped her homework down on the desk and her mother finally took notice.

"I'll sign your permission slip in a moment, Dawn. I am very busy right now." Dawn was confused, and was starting to become upset with the negligence happening to her. After the promised moment, her mother extended her arm to sign her name 'Victoria Bellwether' on the homework, writing on a divider line that simply sectioned the multiplication and the division math problems. Dawn took her homework back, disappointed that she received no praise again. All she wanted to do was make her proud, make her notice her achievements, or at least make her happy. "Go have fun with your friends or something, and don't get messy," her mother told her. "your grandmother will be coming to visit this weekend. She'll be here very soon."

Dawn lugged her backpack onto her shoulders and walked upstairs then down another hallway, opening a door into her small bedroom. She sat her backpack in its corner next to a stack of loose books, and slid her A-plus homework into a holder labeled 'good grades' sitting on her shabby dresser. Her walls were mostly bare, aside from a poster of the periodic table, and a picture of a beautiful unknown city in the sunset she took from a magazine. She crawled over her bed with patterned quilts covering it and picked up her only toy. It was a pink plush sheep doll, and she loved her.

"I wish I had friends, Pinky…" She muttered to her little stuffed sheep. "But Baba is coming to visit! She's always so nice to me!" She held Pinky in her paws and felt the soft curly fuzz that covered it, wishing with all of her might that her parents weren't so busy all of the time. She heard the front door open and her father announced to the household.

"We're here!" With the news, Dawn jumped up, taking Pinky with her and running down the hall.

"Baba!" She called out while she ran down the stairs. Her grandmother was a little feeble and a little crooked, time bending her back and adorning her features with the wrinkles of wisdom and smiles. Her clothing was mostly hand-stitched or knitted, the wool of her cheeks that held old spectacles fell into long thick braids, and she always had the sweet scent of green things about her. Holding onto her walking stick made of an old branch, she smiled widely for her granddaughter and held her arms out to hold her. Dawn ran through the foyer to her so filled with joy and excitement that she lost her footing and tripped on her own skirt. She fell hard onto the stone tile floor, crashing her chin and elbow. She was stunned and tried her hardest not to cry, tried to be a big girl for her Baba. Her father and mother walked past her on the floor, her mother was too focused and talked business to the sharp dressed sheep that was Dawn's father, who simply ignored her as well and was more concerned with his business. Her mother rambled on.

"I've been going over the accounts all day. I think I may have found a solution to our problems." She looked ecstatic, speaking more with large gestures of her arms. Her father rubbed his face of exhaustion.

"Can you spare me your fascination with money for just one moment? It's been a stressful day and I don't want to hear about it!"

Dawn looked at them go by, longing for some kind of attention. Baba slowly walked up to Dawn and made the effort to bend down and hold out an aged paw to the hurt little sheep. Dawn held firmly and was helped up, adjusting her glasses and hugging Pinky tightly, and holding her tears as she received her grandmother's kindness. Everything was made ok.

Dinner time had come for the day. Dawn sat next to Baba, and before them was a fine feast of fruits and vegetables in a wide assortment. Lettuce greens with cheese, celery and dip, carrots, broccoli, and her favorite, strawberries. She was hungry and waited patiently despite her energy, still happy that Baba was visiting. Her mother sat down and since everyone was in attendance, they could begin. Dawn took an even amount of everything and hungrily ate. Baba was much slower and picked at the broccoli while chatting.

"So son, how is the telephone business?" He took a sip of red wine and sighed.

"It's been tough this quarter. Ram-Bell is slowly going bankrupt since the telecommunications industry is moving quickly forward to develop cellular phones. There's been a lot of layoffs and budget cuts." Victoria put her paw on his shoulder with a smile of optimism. He looked at her paw with a scowl of sour mistrust. She removed it quickly and fell into a submissive posture, and the conversation continued.

"I consolidated our debt and moved it to an account with a lower interest rate, we can finally get ahead… as long as we don't make any new large purchases." She smiled and sighed in relief herself. Proud of her work and knowing they could be out of their financial hole. Dawn chimed happily as she munched on her celery loudly.

"I got an A-plus on my math homework!" She looked up to Baba as she said it, seeing that she approved and validated her.

"Good for you, sunshine!" Baba replied. "You're so smart, I bet you're smarter than your parents." The comment got the attention of Dawn's father, taking it too personally for the joke to be in jest.

"Let's see how well SHE can run a fortune five-hundred company on the brink of bankruptcy." Baba huffed and shook her head and the mammal.

"Bannur, you need to relax." She said then had a pleasant idea. "Why don't I make cookies for everyone tomorrow? Everyone could use a good cookie now and then." Dawn's face lit up with excitement. She loved Baba's cookies and the sweet smell of them always filled the whole house. She smiled widely and hugged the arm of her grandmother. Victoria snuffed out the happiness in the idea.

"No. She's small enough as is, she doesn't need all that sugar. If you think she's so smart, let her focus on her schoolwork. See if she makes something of herself some day." Baba disapproved with a stern expression.

"She's much too young to be worrying about that. Let her be a child for a moment. Bannur, you agree with me, right?" Dawn chimed in happily contributing to the conversation.

"It's ok Baba, I like to learn new things." Dawn's father looked blankly at the two of them for a moment with vegetables half-chewed in his mouth. Not knowing what to say, he changed the subject.

"So glad you're here, Ma. Victoria and I have a lot of work to do if we are to stabilize our finances." Baba huffed again but at him.

"You're working too hard. It's the weekend, why don't we all do something together as a family?" Bannur tossed his paws up in the air in unnecessary frustration.

"Like that would ever happen!? If you could keep an eye on Dawn for just this weekend, everything will be sorted out soon enough." Baba took a bite of a strawberry and looked to Bannur over her spectacles.

"I see what's happening now, and I didn't fly all the way from the Emerald Isles just to babysit for you." Bannur was losing his cool under the amount of stress present in his life. He flailed his arms out and responded harshly, almost yelling.

"Fine! Here," He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He searched out a credit card and tossed it to Baba, it landed and slid across the wooden table. If Baba hadn't accurately stopped it with her finger, it would've fell to the floor. Bannur explained his reasoning. "Take Dawn to the museum or aquarium or something. Just don't spend over three-hundred dollars!" Baba took the card and smiled, bending down to speak to Dawn privately.

"Oh-ho-ho! We're going to bake so many cookies!" She snickered and Dawn was giddy with delight, giggling with her grandmother. Baba poured herself a bit more red wine, placing the large bottle between her and the little sheep drinking her apple juice. Dawn finished her drink in a gulp and reached for the wine.

"I wanna try the red juice!" She grabbed the big wine bottle too near the bottom, and as the wine within shifted, it tipped the bottle. Baba couldn't react fast enough to stop it, its momentum sent the bottle over the edge of the table, shattering in a sharp crash and a spray of wine on the floor. Shards of glass spanned all around the legs of the chairs. Baba looked at the mess in surprise then spoke.

"Oh, muttonchops..." Dawn was instantly scared out of her mind, she knew she would be punished immediately. Victoria stood up slowly, face angled harshly with fury.

"Dawn, leave your dinner, and go to your room…" Dawn's lips trembled, and her eyes watered with fear and sadness.

"B-B-But it was an a-accident!"

"NOW!" Victoria screamed. More silence came and Dawn sniffled, trying not to cry in front of everyone. She carefully got down from her chair, opposite of the wine spill and sharp glass. She carefully stepped around the spill and left to go upstairs to her room, alone and still hungry. At her doorway, she heard her mother angrily yell again. "That stupid girl!" She crawled into her dark room and hid in her bed, feeling safe enough to let her tears go.

It was quiet downstairs for some time until Baba gently knocked on her door. Dawn peeked from her quilts and dried her tears, happy to see that she had brought her dinner to her with a few extra strawberries stacked on top. She gratefully ate the rest of her meal while her grandmother sat with her.

"Don't feel bad about the spilled… red juice. It was indeed an accident, and it's all cleaned up now. Your mother and father are very sad because they don't have a lot of money. But that's ok, because we have each other and that's all that matters, and tomorrow there will be cookies to bake, which matters just as much." She tried to make the little sheep smile, but her attempt unfortunately failed. Dawn was too upset.

"Why is mother and father always mad at me?" She asked. Baba thought for a moment and came to an answer.

"They aren't, sunshine. They have been mad at eachother for a long time. I'm sorry you sometimes get caught in the middle. Everything will be ok." Dawn nodded and finished eating her dinner, satisfied and happy that Baba always made everything better. "Now get lots of rest." She snuggled into the patchwork quilt and hugged Pinky lovingly. Baba kissed her nose and started slowly walking out.

"Baba?" Dawn asked quietly. "What are muttonchops?" Baba smiled and stroked her paws down the long wooly braids that hung from her cheeks. Dawn sat up and placed her paws on her own cheeks, fluffing them up and understanding what she meant with a smile. Baba winked as she left, and kept the door cracked open to ward off the bumps in the night. Dawn snuggled in for a good night's rest, closing her eyes and beginning her sleepy routine.

"One times one is one. One times two is two. One times three is three." And so on.

It was a beautiful Saturday and the sun was shining bright and hot, just as hot as the summer days that waited around the corner in a month. Baba watched the kitchen clock closely, tracking the second hand carefully to measure the time the cookies needed to bake. At twelve forty-five, the cookies everyone was smelling would come out of the oven and be enjoyed. The aroma attracted a particular little sheep that waited quietly for just that moment. Baba bent down and opened the oven while Dawn squeaked with anticipation. The twenty-four plump peanut butter cookies all came out perfectly, and Baba smiled at her work.

"They get better every time." She said while setting them on the cooling rack. Bannur came into the kitchen, following the smell of fresh cookies.

"Oh, this is perfect!" He called out. He grabbed a large bin from a nearby cupboard and began placing the cookies inside it. "I have a meeting with the board in an hour. I need to get my proposal approved and cookies are a fantastic way to sway their minds." He dumped the remaining cookies from the rack and sealed the container with its plastic lid. Dawn stood mortified that her father took all of the cookies away.

"Fatherrrr!" She said pouting.

"I need these for my board meeting. I promise you I will buy a box of cookies on the way home, I have to go now!" He took off and left out the front door, juggling his briefcase and the container of the warm peanut butter cookies. Dawn was shocked and disappointed. She knew her father would forget the store-bought cookies. She didn't even want them, she wanted Baba's cookies. She had been looking forward to having one all morning, and they were all gone. She looked to Baba and hopefully, trustfully, asked.

"Please say you snuck one?" Baba smiled and held her paw out with a single warm cookie nested in it.

"You know I did." She said with a cunning grin. Dawn leaped with joy and had her cookie, taking the sweet morsel and tasting every crumb of it. "When you're done with that, I'm going to wash the dishes. I saw some boys playing outside earlier, are they your friends?" Dawn frowned and replied quietly.

"I don't have any friends… everyone thinks I'm weird." Baba smirked in a sullen way, feeling pity for the sheep.

"You're not, you're just really smart and that isn't a bad thing. It's a beautiful day outside. Go play, I'll be here cleaning up." Dawn swallowed the last of her treat and gave Baba a big hug, then it was off to the great outdoors.

The day was perfect for her to be outside with her magnifying glass and her book of insect species. She and Pinky hunched over on the sidewalk near the end of the driveway, searching around the edge of the grass for a specific kind of ant and discovering a whole sandy pile of them. She paged through her book to find a matching picture. She took her pen and scratched out a checkmark, writing beneath it 'found in driveway'. She flipped back to the table of contents and placed another check by its name. She admired her progress on the book of local insect species.

"That's half of them!" She cheered to herself. A voice came from the circle of road that the homes surrounded.

"Half of what?" the boy asked in a bratty manner. Dawn looked to see who it was, and she saw a young black panther her own age looking down at her. Behind him was a lion boy, perhaps a little older than her by a few years, and a lot shyer than his investigative friend. She stood up and held the book open and pointed.

"I found a Monomorium Pharaonis, a sugar ant! I've found half of the bugs in the book!" The panther didn't really care, he looked past her at her house.

"Is this your house?" Dawn smiled and nodded. The panther continued. "It's small. My house is twice as big as yours. What do your parents do?" Dawn was feeling bad that she didn't measure up to the black panther, but she stood proudly and defied the boy with a confident answer.

"My father works for the Ram-Bell telephone company!" The panther laughed and stepped closer.

"Phones? Ha! I'm Desmond Night and my father owns a record company. He's rich and powerful, and he can buy me anything I want!" The panther noticed a particular pink sheep doll sitting on the pavement of the driveway. "Give me that sheep doll." He told her. Dawn looked to Pinky and picked her up, holding her close and protecting her.

"No!" She yelled out. "You can't have her, you can't just have anything you want!" Desmond came in close and got in Dawn's face.

"If you haven't noticed, you're the only prey in the whole neighborhood; everyone here is a predator. So we're at the top and you're at the bottom. The sooner you know your place, the safer you'll be." The lion behind him stepped forward and pulled on Desmond's arm.

"Thtop it Dethmond! That'th enough! Can't you thee thshe's thcared?" Desmond backed off and pulled out of the lion's grip. He quietly walked back to his bicycle and mounted it, growling at the sheep, then spoke to the lion.

"It's hot, I'm going to get some ice cream. When I get back, she better be gone." He threatened, riding quickly on his black bicycle down the road, to his larger home and richer father. Dawn wiped the fear from her eyes and picked up her things to go back into her home. The lion boy called after her.

"Where are you goingth?"

"Inside, and away." Dawn sniffed. The defeat weighed her down and shrunk her spirit.

"Wait!" The boy yelled. Dawn stopped and looked at him, waiting to hear what he was about to say next. A moment passed, and the boy summoned his courage. "Tho… You like bugths?" Dawn smiled and nodded.

"I do! I want to be a biologist!" The lion boy smiled back at her and commented.

"You're thmart, aren't you? You know a lot of big wordth." Dawn blushed a little. She's never received a nice compliment like this before, especially not from anyone around her age. She gave him a warm smile and asked.

"What's your name?"

"Leodore Lionheart. My mother ith a… p-politithian." Dawn didn't care about his mom's work, she was happy to have met this shy and sweet lion. Up close, Dawn was able to tell that he was definitely a few years older than her and the panther. She couldn't tell his exact age. She didn't mind the difference, and happily introduced herself.

"I'm Dawn Bellwether." Leodore grinned.

"Dawn," he said with ease, and was glad she had a simple name for him to say. "...I know where we can findth lotsth of bugths! Follow me!"

The young lion and the little sheep rode their bicycles to the end of the neighborhood. A large section of the land hadn't been developed yet into a neighborhood of million-dollar homes, and was, for now, left untouched and wild. The woods was thick with old oak trees, and bushes untrimmed sprawled wherever they pleased.

Leodore and Dawn walked their bikes partly into the woods, and he showed her where they could stash the bikes so no one would see them from the street. Dawn took Pinky from her bike's basket and held her close to avoid snagging her on the twigs and branches. A faint trail guided them through, telling that any number of the neighborhood's children came by here. Dawn stood, looking back at the road and the familiar houses, a little frightened to be outside the limits she was allowed to explore, and scared of what her parents might think of her being this far from home. Leodore came back and gently held her paw, guiding her safely through the sun sprinkled underbrush.

After a moment they came upon a clearing with a trampled dirt forest floor. To one side, an enormous oak tree towered high and wide, decorated with childish paintings, and had boards nailed into it. A makeshift ladder climbed its side, giving access to a platform fastened securely between its strong branches. The best part was an old-fashioned tire swing in the clearing's center. Dawn's eyes filled with wonder and forgot all about bugs, worries, and especially stresses of her life. For once, the weight of the world lifted off of her shoulders and she transcended into childhood anew. She felt she could finally be a kid, and she had made a proper friend. Leodore had plucked a wild yellow flower and bashfully gave it to her. He blushed intensely and averted her eyes to the ground as he held it out at arm's length for her. Dawn took it gratefully and placed the flower in Pinky's head fuzz, making sure it stuck securely. She admired the pink sheep doll with her beautiful adornment.

"I-it would lookth pretty inth your wool too." Leodore admitted. She smiled at him sweetly but it fell from her as quickly as the thought came to mind.

"But I'm not pretty." She spoke meekly, feeling self-conscious of her wooly face and large dopey glasses. She briefly remembered a time when she had felt pretty wearing a cute little dress, but her mother never confirmed her, instead she was ignored. Since then, she thought it was true that she wasn't pretty because no one ever called her that. Leo held her paws and his eyes glittered for her.

"I thinkth you're pretty…" He confessed. Dawn smiled with a simper and giggled.

"Awww…" She blushed deeply. "Thank you for the Chrysanthemum Indicum!" Leodore wiped the heat from his forehead and shook off the nervousness of trying to get her to like him. He couldn't help but ask, though.

"You know a lot of big wordth. I can'th talk that thwell." He was conscious of his impediment. Dawn placed her paws on his shoulders and told him.

"Your lisp will get better, you have a nice voice. At least it isn't squeaky like mine. You're a lion, and lions roar!" She threw her arms out wide in a big gesture. Leodore was glad she was his friend, she was nice to him, she wanted him to succeed. "C'mon, try it once, just roar!" She convinced him. Leodore took a deep breath and yelled out a loud shout. It wasn't quite a roar but it was a good first try. The burst of sound scared a bird out the large oak, and it made him light up with the hope that he could overcome his speaking challenge. Dawn cheered for him, and it gave him the confidence he desperately needed. Feeling courageous, he leaned down to her height and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Dawn squeaked and shied away, and so did Leodore. She liked him too and wanted to help the lion be strong.

"Thank you, Dawn." Leodore said sincerely to her.

"Hey… Would you like to have lunch at my place? Baba makes the best sandwiches!" Dawn asked with anticipation that he would say yes, and he did.

"Ok!" He smiled fondly at his new sheep friend. She grabbed his paw and pulled him back down the trail they had followed in. She was eager to show Baba that she had made a friend at last.

Dawn and Leodore rode their bikes down the street. Her house wasn't far away when Desmond cut them off, skidding in front of them on his own bicycle to block them. They stopped abruptly before the black panther boy.

"Leo, I don't want her around. She's below us." Leodore didn't like the insult, and he stepped up to Desmond with courage.

"Thshe's nithe!" He shouted. Dawn was flattered that he stood up for her. No one has ever stood up for her and it brought courage to her heart as well.

"Leodore and I are going to my house for lunch!" She yelled to him. Desmond was surprised but angry that the sheep was being difficult. Desmond replied demandingly, "No! Leo is coming to my house!"

Leodore chimed in, "Or we couldth all go to my houthe?" Desmond turned to Leo with a glare, then walked up to him and shoved him down with his paws. Leo hit the pavement with a thump, and before he could get back on his feet, Desmond stood over him threateningly.

"Shut up and do what I tell you!"

"You're not the boss of him!" Dawn shouted out. Desmond stopped and looked at her with distaste and snobbery."Like you are?" .

Dawn thought for a heartbeat and replied confidently, Yes, I am!" Desmond approached her and loomed over her smaller stature. She started to regret her defiance as he spoke in a cool, sinister tone.

"Fine. If you want to be the boss that bad, you'll have to race me for it. From here to the circle." He pointed a claw down the road. "The finish line is the crosswalk." Dawn puffed up and stuck her chest out, accepting the challenge.

"Ok!" She mounted her bike and lined up with Desmond. She took a deep breath, hoping she could do it. Dawn knew she was smaller than him, but maybe if she could just pedal harder, she would win. She was filled with confidence, and she was proud of herself for making a friend, more than that, she didn't want to lose him, he was sweet.

"Leo, do the countdown!" Desmond shouted. He stood mounted on his bike, ready to follow the racers.

"Three, two, oneth, GO!" He roared out.

Dawn and Desmond took off, pedaling as hard as they could. Dawn fell behind quickly, her little legs going as fast as they could, but in a few seconds, Desmond was losing his lead. She was catching up, exerting all of her effort to gain a lead ahead of him. In a brief moment, she was head to head with him and somehow got ahead by a few feet on the panther. Her breathing burned with effort as she applied every ounce of physical strength she had against the arrogant Panther. She knew Leo wanted her to win, and she had him in her little heart like a source of power. Another couple seconds and she would win.

Her leg was pulled by her skirt, getting trapped in a loop of fabric and she couldn't move it. She rapidly lost her lead while she reached down and pulled on her skirt, hoping it would give way. It did not, and when she pulled again harder, her balance was lost. For a brief moment, the world spun around her, girl and bike skipping off the pavement, crashing hard into the surface and tumbling once again. The violent crash left Dawn pinned beneath her bike, her glasses beside her with one lens thoroughly cracked, and her leg bent unnaturally within the bicycle's frame. Her leg was broken, and she realized it among the many bumps and scrapes. She was in shock for a moment and when the pain came, in came like an explosion.

Everything hurt, and she cried out immediately with a wail of anguish. She tried to crawl out from the wreckage, but her leg was hot and cold with immeasurable aching stinging pain. Leodore was shocked and traumatized by the sweet sheep trapped and hurting. Desmond dismounted his bike and stood before Dawn, just watching with cold intent to be of no help. Leo rode up, letting his own bike fall to the road as he jumped from it. He was frightened for his friend.

"Dawn! Are you ok!?" He called out, and as he ran to her, he was blocked by Desmond.

"Don't help her!" He shouted. Leo pushed against him.

"Thshe's my friend!" Desmond overpowered him, throwing him to the ground and stood over him, dominating him.

"I said don't help her!" He commanded as he loomed over him. Leodore yelled at him from the ground, fed up with Desmond's sick disposition.

"You're a jerk and I don't want to be your friend anymore!" He had barely said it before Desmond threw his arm back and swiped at Leodore's face. The panther's sharp claws cut deeply across the bridge of his nose. It stung, and he covered it with a paw, scared and hurt. Desmond turned around and approached Dawn, stuck in her own world of hurt, and shaking from fear and pain. She cried and sobbed in the hot sun, then she was shadowed by the panther boy. Dawn reached out and managed to grasp her broken glasses, putting them on to see better despite the cracked lens. She was shocked as she saw Leodore holding his bleeding nose. The failure and sorrow in his face as he watched was terrifying.

"Help me, Leo!" Dawn screamed. "Please! Leo! Help me!" He was stunned, and he looked on in paralyzed shame.

"I can't." He spoke out meekly. He turned his back to her, he couldn't watch, and she was on her own. Her heart was now broken too. Desmond walked around her and picked up Pinky. The doll had been tossed during the crash and was now in Desmond's possession. He held it up, looked at its pink artificial wool with the yellow flower nestled in it. Desmond made sure Dawn could see him before he began.

"Nobody says no to me." He calmly delivered. He held up Pinky in one paw and held sharp claws in the other.

"No!" Dawn called out in horror. He ripped into the pink wool, shredding the fabric beneath, tearing out the stuffing and broke the stitching. He diced it with fury, slicing its features into unrecognizable fragments. "Pinky! NO!" She cried hysterically. She felt as if a part of her very self had been severed. Desmond said nothing more, he walked away, leaving the broken sheep on the street in the hot sun. Leo had walked his bike home, holding his cut nose, and ignoring her cries for help, for mercy, for anything.

Dawn was scared out of her mind, she called out for help to anyone, and after several minutes, still no one had answered. She was exhausted from her race, and her pain was unbearable. She looked over to the remains of pinky, all a scattered mess of pink wool and white stuffing, and despairingly grieved for the loss of her inanimate companion. Leo had abandoned her, betrayed her, he wasn't strong enough to stand up to Desmond, and she still hoped he would come back to help her somehow. He never did.

She was getting very hot and had no idea how long she had been lying on the road waiting for any kind of assistance. She couldn't move, she didn't have the strength, and no one noticed her for at least half an hour. Her mother had walked out of her house, and lucky for Dawn, she did notice her. She walked over to her and pulled her skirt out of the gear of the bike, and lifted it off of her. Her leg stung from being moved but she was free to go home.

"Mother… I broke my leg..." she squeaked out, voice wavering with hurt and upset. Her mother took her glasses from her, leaving her nearly blind, and looked at the broken lens. Dawn struggled to get up, she was dizzy from the heat, and the pain rushed back as her heart pounded with agony. There was a flat impact on her cheek, her mother slapped her.

"Do you have any idea how much these cost!?" She screamed at her with the glasses in her paw. Dawn nearly tipped over, and the strike added insult to injury. She sobbed in shame, disappointment, heartache, and she couldn't keep herself together. She looked for help in her mother, but her mother turned away, walking angrily back to the house and going inside with a slam of the front door. Dawn saw the distance, and she tried to walk it. The break in her leg was fiery and she moved slowly, dizzy, unable to see, overheated, but she pressed on as her life depended on it. She carefully took steps and made a rhythm. She painstakingly hobbled halfway up the sidewalk. She counted the steps and thought furiously to endure the pain. She was mostly there, then she felt a cold turn in her stomach and throat. She stopped as her body reacted to the exhaustion, then with one lurch, she vomited her breakfast onto the walkway. Any stamina remaining had disappeared with the heaving, and the world turned clockwise. As the ground came upward to catch her, she saw the front door swing open, and Baba came rushing to her side, right before her entire world fell into the numb darkness.

Dawn laid in the hospital bed, coming out of a hazy dark existence. Baba was talking on the corded phone attached to the wall in the hospital room. She sat in a chair near a window, providing a halo of light on her that made her look even more like a saint. She spoke furiously over the phone.

"This has gone too far, Victoria!" She yelled under her breath. Baba looked to Dawn, seeing that she was awake and numb from the pain for the moment. "She's awake now." She said and hung up without a goodbye. Baba came up to her and pulled a spare set of glasses from her purse. She set them on Dawn's nose and she could see clearly once again. The first thing she noticed was who was standing in the door, it was Leodore. His nose was bandaged up, and it was likely he had to get stitches.

"Leodore?" Her voice quivered, it startled him and he backed away from the door of the room. With a second of hesitation, he ran away. "I forgive you!" She yelled, wishing she could run with him, but she wouldn't be running again for some time. Her leg was in a thick hard cast and still ached deeply. Baba smoothed the little sheep's wool out and gave her a kind kiss of compassion.

"Sunshine, I'm so glad you're ok." She said. "You broke your leg and you were out in the heat for too long."

"I broke my tibia and got dehydrated." She depressingly told her. Dawn sighed and felt heavily sad, wishing none of this had ever happened. "Is mother mad at me?" Baba shook her head.

"No, she's…" She paused, and didn't know how to answer the question. "You don't need to worry about her. You just need to take it easy on your leg until it heals, ok?" Dawn nodded. A nurse came in with a tiny crutch for her to use. She also had a clipboard that was given to Baba.

"I'm afraid there is some confusion with the insurance, is there another form of payment we can use?" Baba sighed and thought for a moment. She reached into her purse and retrieved the borrowed credit card.

"Here, try this." She answered, giving the card to the nurse. She left the room and Baba turned to Dawn. "Everything will be ok, when you're ready, we can go home."

"Six times eight is forty-eight. Six times nine is fifty-four. Six times ten is sixty…" Dawn laid in her dark bedroom, the door cracked for light and trying to get to sleep by the comfort of her routine. It was normally easy for her to fall asleep, but without Pinky, she felt too alone and too vulnerable. Vivid memories of her tumble, and then the shredding of her doll, it was all too much for her. She kept counting to forget the hurt. "Six times eleven is-"

"Seven-thousand!?" Bannur yelled, being heard by everyone in the house as his shout carried through the halls. Dawn was interrupted and awake, her progress on falling asleep had halted. It was the first anyone had said anything since she came home from the hospital with Baba. Dinner was separated and silent, and the evening went without conversation. Her father, however, was now very angry. "A seven-thousand dollar hospital bill?" He yelled again. Dawn looked at her door and saw Baba slowly walking by, not making a sound. Dawn carefully rolled out of her bed and used the crutch to get to the open door. Baba stood back from the top of the stairs, just out of sight of her parents, and Dawn stood in her doorway, out of sight of Baba. From here, they both could clearly eavesdrop.

"YOUR mother used the card YOU gave her! Do you realize that we are going to lose the house!?" Victoria accused, and Bannur angrily replied.

"All you ever care about is money! You don't even care about your own daughter!"

"She's not my daughter!" She yelled back. "There's something wrong with her, it doesn't feel right. I think they switched babies on us. She can't be mine! … I don't love her..." Her father sighed loudly.

"We've talked about this for years, Dawn is ours! You've been dissociated from her since she was born. Have you been taking your medicine?" Her mother was quiet for a moment.

"We can't afford the medicine anymore. Bannur, I'm just... so unhappy. I can't do this anymore... I want a divorce." There was a long pause before her father responded.

"I know... she was unexpected, Dawn ruined our lives, and if a divorce is what you truly want, I can't deny you that. I saw this coming for a long time, and we can't hold each other back anymore."

It was silent for a moment, her parent's words reverberated in her mind, how she wasn't loved, how she was ruining their lives, and an accident. That day, an enemy had broken her leg, a friend broke her heart, and her parents broke her soul. Baba had heard enough and turned around, looking at the little sheep in the doorway who had heard too much. Dawn was too stricken to move, too flooded with emotions she didn't understand. Baba approached and knelt down, gave her a hug, and spoke softly.

"Everything will be ok."

Dawn woke up to Baba shaking her shoulder, almost startling her awake.

"Baba?" The tired little sheep asked. Baba put a finger to her lips and hushed her. She had quietly packed a bag for Dawn, a few of her favorite shirts and skirts, a thick coat and a hat. Baba had packed her own luggage previously and she pulled both bags herself, tucking her walking stick beneath her arm. She had set out clothes for Dawn, and she pointed for her to get dressed. "Where are we going?" She whispered. Baba didn't answer as she looked out the door. It was so early in the morning that the tiniest shimmer of the morning sun trimmed the horizon.

Dawn sleepily followed her grandmother, trying to be as quiet as she could, limping with her crutch beside her. Stealthily walking down the stairs, Baba was looking across the dark house for anyone else that might catch them. They were clear to leave, and Baba gently opened the oakwood front door. She let Dawn go out first as she closed the door behind them without a sound. A taxi cab waited in the driveway, and once they were both inside, the driver asked.

"Where to, ma'am?"

"The airport." Baba told him.

Dawn fell asleep on Baba's arm in the backseat of the taxi, barely remembering how the growing daylight looked so early in the morning. The world wasn't awake, yet and they were right on schedule. Baba had planned an early flight to arrange for this rescue, she knew it was bad at the Bellwether household, but didn't know it was this bad, and she and the little sheep had made things worse. Baba only wanted what was best for her granddaughter. Dawn hadn't asked where they were going again until they were in the bustling airport.

"Where are we going, Baba?" She finally asked. Baba gave a gentle smile and bent down to talk to the tired little sheep as she rubbed her eye.

"You're coming to my house to live with me for a little while. Your mother and father are very busy so I will take care of you." Dawn remembered the conversation she overheard from the evening before. It still hurt and upset her.

"Mother and father don't love me…" She said quietly. Baba's eyes filled with a mother's pain, and a mother's love. She gave her a kiss on the nose and that cheered her up a little.

"I love you so much, and together we will bake so many cookies!" Baba said with a giggle. Dawn didn't react as expected. She was either too tired or too hurt to respond to her grandmother's uplifting. No amount of cookies could fix this. They boarded their flight as boarding began at their gate.

Dawn had never been on an airliner before, and after the scary take off, the jet smoothly ascended into the sky. Her astonishment of seeing her city far below amazed her. All the tiny little lights and cars were a beautiful sight to see, but it got better. The jet rumbled through a cloud, and on the other side, she had risen to meet the sun before anyone else. The golden morning light shone upon her woolly face, and was too astonishing to feel sad anymore. She felt hope again, and with her grandmother, they flew high over the clouds and time zones to a different world, and a new life.

Dawn limped about Baba's hut in the hamlet of Olannglas. The small cliff side village was the right size for the little sheep and her grandmother. The grass was deep and it waved in the cool breeze from the sea below the cliff, and the fog of the mountains covered the village daily, hiding it like a wonderful secret from the rest of the world and its worries. The people were very nice, and happy to see the little sheep. At first, Dawn thought that they knew her, and in a way, they did, as Baba had talked about her granddaughter often and how they shared a name. Baba was always Baba to Dawn, and they both liked it that way. Since their arrival to the homely hut a day ago, the weather had been cold and overcast, but today was mostly clear and a little warmer.

The time closed in on the evening hour, and a fresh batch of cookies had been forged to perfection in Baba's own stone oven. Dawn ate three to make up for the ones she didn't get to eat before. This time, her father wasn't there to snatch them to impress the board members. Dawn was happy with everything. The world around her felt like the tree in the clearing with the tire swing where she met her friend Leodore, she felt free. She sometimes wondered how he was doing, and missed him despite his cowardice. It was easy to forget about her parents, or rather it was easy to forget their neglect. She missed them a little but really she only missed the idea that she could go home and they can all be a happy family again. Baba had left the cookies to cool and walked to her bedroom, coming back out with a small wooden box.

"Sunshine," she said to the little sheep. "This belonged to my mother. I want you to have it." She opened the box and laid inside was a little golden bell on a simple gold chain. It was beautiful and she instantly loved it. Baba took it from the box and latched it around Dawn's neck, letting it jingle a few times as Dawn tapped it with her finger. "If you ever lose sight of who you are, just listen to it, and remember that anyone can be anything." Dawn knew that if she worked hard, she could be the biologist she always wanted to be.

"I love it, thank you Baba." She told her. With a shining resolve, she entered a new part of her life and was wiser going forward into the unknown. Baba had gathered the dozens of fresh cookies into a woven basket and covered them with a red and white checkered cloth. She took her walking stick and Dawn's crutch, giving it to her.

"Let's go give these out to the people in town. The constable loves my cookies just as much as you do." Dawn was happy to talk with the few people she's met from the hamlet. They all had funny accents, and sometimes she heard it in Baba's voice after she talked with them for long enough. They left the hut together, Baba with her curved walking stick and Dawn with her crutch. Together they slowly walked towards Olannglas just over a low hill. The sun was finally coming out, just in time for a beautiful sunset over the ocean and the tiny uninhabited islets strewn between her and the horizon. Dawn's face was bathed with the sun's wonder and peace, it never got old.

The village was a series of stone brick houses and shops lined along a single avenue. The road ended with the end of the village, then it split into a few different paths, one of which lead to Baba's hut. On the other side, the road stretched on along the edge of the coast between the cliffs and the steep mountains. It was one car wide, though many only traveled it by hoof. The whole village sat on a shelf that also had enough room for some vegetable farms, and a woods full of old undisturbed trees. It too had a trail leading into it as well.

The constable was a mature ram with a thick wooly beard, swirly tight curls, and a rather bald head. Notably, that bald head was between two straight and twisted horns pointed outward in a wide V-shape. His wool was braided over the bridge of his nose, which signified he was a warrior. Dawn had never before seen anyone that looked like this, and her curiosity was tickled, she wanted to know everything about him. As he approached along the cobbled road, so did Dawn with her crutch.

"Whoooooa… Are you the constable?" Dawn asked, admiring the size and uniqueness of his horns. He smiled at her and spoke with a raspy deep brogue accent.

"Aye, that's me, petal. You must be the wee Ms. Bellwether." She nodded and was very fascinated to meet the charming ram. Baba unfurled the cookies from the basket and gave one to him. He took it, munched on it blissfully, eyes rolling back and letting his stance go slack as he expressed its delicious taste. Baba chuckled and introduced him properly.

"Sunshine, this is Constable Racka. He's like a police officer." Racka laughed once confidently.

"I only settle domestic disputes, listen to their problems, keep the peace. The people mostly police themselves. I've not made an arrest in years and that was when Herdwick had a wee bit much Guinness. Nowadays we just roll him home from the pub." Dawn giggled, picturing the euphemism literally with a big round sheep being rolled down the curvy cobble road. Racka swallowed the cookie and patted his belly with satisfaction. Dawn saw how happy he was with Baba's cookies.

"I helped bake the cookies! With me around, there will be a lot more!" Baba nodded.

"I'm teaching her the recipe." Racka smiled, delighted to hear the news, delighted to see Dawn take after her grandmother.

"Aye, she'll be a fine baker in no time. Such a bright and chipper lass, yer parents must be so proud!" There was a hang in the conversation, and Racka didn't even know what had gone wrong. Dawn's chipper outlook changed, being reminded about the recent events. She froze in a flashback and stared down at the cobble, trapped for a moment in her mind as she remembered traumatic things. Baba looked worriedly into the constable's eyes and slightly shook her head, warning him silently not to never mention anything of the sort around her. Racka sighed, pitied her, then he had an idea.

"Aw petal, uhm... I know where ya might find a friend. Ask Mr. Hart if Dakota is around. He owns the general store." Dawn looked up and smiled at the kind constable's suggestion. She nodded an ok and walked off. She'd find the store with ease, it was somewhere down the one road, and as she walked, she overheard Baba say something to Racka about her parents and the divorce.

Her entry was made known with the jingle of a little brass bell above the door. Dawn entered quietly and peeked around at the tall wooden shelves populated with items of various sections and needs. There were spices, sugars, flour, a section with wood and tools, and-

"Books!" Dawn found. She hopped over to them and looked at the titles. There were stories: stories about detectives, biographies about worthy personalities, then she found one she thought would be fun, a book of local flowers hiding next to a colossal encyclopedia. She pulled it out and sat down in the aisle of the general store to read through it. She saw beautiful photographs of Cinquefoils, Periwinkles, and Forget-Me-Nots. She was becoming very excited to begin a new hunt to find all of the flowers on the island. At least, when her leg healed and she could move well again.

She was reading about wild strawberries when a soft but resonating voice spoke to her from behind.

"You need to pay for that." It was Mr. Hart standing over her. He was a red deer, a buck with twelve points to his antlers. He was leanly built but his presence was dominating enough to tell about how he conducted his business with a certain charge. Dawn put the book back into its spot on the shelve and stood up with the help of her crutch.

"I'm Dawn Bellwether!" She introduced. "Are you Mr. Hart?"

"I am. Name's Alexander Hart, I run the store. I provide a variety of supplies to the village. A pleasure to meet you, Dawn. Heard a lot about you from your grandmother." His accent was different from the constable's way of speaking. It was upright and proper like he was born and raised in a large foreign city rather than the village. It spoke of knowledge and education, and it was out of place for the likes of Olannglas. Dawn smiled and shook his paw charmingly. "Nice to meet you."

"Ya know…" He said with a smirk as he picked the book of flowers from the shelf and gave it to her. "Go ahead and take it, take anything else you want. I'll send the bill to your grandmother." Dawn didn't feel comfortable with how he said that, it felt like a trick.

"No," she said as she put the book back once again. "I'll find a way to earn it." The buck snorted in a bit of a huff, missing out on a potential way to extort some extra money. There was a tapping of hooves on the wooden stairs as a little doe came down them. Dawn saw her first, seeing her orange-red fur and slim form. Mr. Hart introduced her.

"Princess, come here for a moment?" The little doe girl was Dawn's age, and when they saw into each other's eyes, she knew they were about to be great friends. Dawn smiled widely at her, ecstatically introducing herself first.

"I'm Dawn." The little doe was quiet then spoke softly.

"I'm Dakota." She tucked her wavy auburn-red hair to the side, exposing her large eyes and kind face. In a shock, there was something terribly unsettling about the girl. Upon the other half of her face and over a cheek was a large scar, her fur had been burned and seared away, and hid no secret that she had been a victim of something extraordinarily awful. The little sheep stopped at the sight of it, but looking again in those doey eyes, she could feel that it wasn't her fault, and she wanted nothing more than to see her smile. She wanted to run and play with her new friend, but she nearly forgot she couldn't.

"I'm sorry, I broke my leg. When it heals we can explore outside." Dakota took her paw sympathetically.

"It's ok. I'm not much of an outside person." Her sweet demeanor could've told anyone that. Dakota caught Dawn as she stared at the terrible scar on her face. She made her self conscious, and for a moment, Dawn felt she was going to be mad at her. "I know it's ugly." Dakota spoke as she broke eye contact with the sheep.

"No! I didn't mean to-"

"It's ok… if you knew what happened, you would understand, then it won't be so bad." Dawn wondered about it, imagined something involving fire and nodded.

"Tell me about it sometime and I'll tell you how I broke my leg." She said and a smile spread across Dakota's face as she nodded in return.

"Do you like crossword puzzles? I have a book with a thousand of them." Dawn was beginning to like her new friend a lot already. Once they began to play together, the bonded and wouldn't stop. Baba had to come to bring Dawn home later that evening, only to do it again the next day.

Summer came and with it brought mild weather. Living was easy for Olannglas as the need for coats seemed to be officially lifted. Dawn's leg was healing fast and in another month, she'd be able to run and play like a healthy little girl. It definitely slowed her down, but her pace was just right for her deer friend. Together they decorated the hard cast with drawings of flowers and stars, and down the center of it, Dakota signed her name, surrounding it with hearts. They both hoped it would've been healed by now. As summer brought fair weather, it also meant a birthday for Dakota and they both were so excited. The small village didn't have many children, aside from an older farm boy that was Mr. Landrace's son. Dakota and Dawn were the only two girls, and they were like two peas in a pod. The whole village was invited to celebrate at the pub, and Baba had baked an amazing cake that would feed everyone and then some. Everyone helped to decorate the pub and find gifts for the sweet deer. The whole village was in attendance, even Constable Racka, though Dawn suspected he just wanted cake. There was a stack of gifts in the center of the long pub table, and the hard working farmers graciously accepted their complimentary pints from Mr. Hart in the spirit of his daughter's birthday. Everyone knew he could afford it anyway.

In unison, they all sang the happy birthday song for Dakota, Dawn singing the loudest, and everyone couldn't have been happier. The piano ended with a flourish and the old goat that brought it to harmony joined the rest of the party around the table. Nine candles circled the cake, and Dakota took a deep breath to blow them out to make her birthday wish. The villagers joked around behind her.

"Aye, what'd ya wish for?"

"I hope she wished for ruddy Animberg to leave us alone!" The gallery all laughed and cheered. Baba began cutting the cake and making sure everyone received a slice and enjoyed it, as part of the norm, her recipe got better every time.

Dakota was filled with glee as she opened her first present, one from Dawn and Baba. They worked together to make a warm quilt for her bed, Baba teaching Dawn to sew and stitch. Dawn had noticed that even though Dakota's bed had a fancy blanket covering it, it lacked the weight and warmth of a loving quilt. It was Dawn's idea, and she made sure her friend would never be cold when the winter winds blew. Dakota also received a chessboard, a new coat that fit her better, a book with a thousand and one word searches, and a big box of crayons. The girls were most excited about the chessboard, as they gave each other a competitive glare, some of the guys in the pub were beginning to place bets. It would seem Dawn and Dakota were quite evenly matched by the tallies taken by the bookie.

The party was nearly over and Dakota had a great time.

"Thank you, everyone!" She called out. "This was such a wonderful party!" She was happy, and Dawn was glad to see her friend be happy and smiling. Mr. Hart interrupted for a moment.

"You still have one last gift, princess." He pulled a shoe-box sized present from behind his back. Dakota surprised, she tore the wrapping paper from the box and opened it in quick succession. Her eyes widened and lit up.

"Thank you, daddy!" She pulled the soft pink sheep doll from the box and hugged it to her chest. Dawn's heart plummeted. It looked just like Pinky but with a pretty purple plaid dress. It was still too traumatic to think about it lying in shreds on the pavement, unable to do anything about it. Dakota had her now, and though she was happy for her, she also resented her. Everyone congratulated Dakota and her special gift from her father. Dawn couldn't stay around any longer, her emotions were getting the best of her, and didn't want to be embarrassed in the presence of the entire village. She got up from her seat and tapped on Dakota's shoulder.

"Happy birthday…" Was all she could say before turning and leaving through the heavy front door. Once outside, she broke and cried by herself, missing the feel of her fluffy sheep doll, Pinky.

"Dawn?" Dakota called through the door after a moment. "What's wrong?"

"Leave me alone." Dawn replied, wiping the tears from her cheek and started her walk back home to Baba's hut.

"Please tell me, you can tell me anything! You're my best friend." Dawn stopped and sniffed hard, rubbing her weepy eyes as she turned to see the gentle and scarred face of her friend.

"I once had a pink sheep doll like that one… But a very mean kid tore her to pieces…" Dakota's expression sullied, she felt sorry for her, sorry to see her so upset.

"I get it…" Dakota went back to her party, and Dawn was left to walk alone. Before she could take the next step, Dakota came out of the pub again. "Dawn!" she called as she ran up from behind. "Wait," She had the pink sheep in her paw, then she extended her arms and presented the doll to her. "If it means that much to you… I want you to have her." The kindness of it was overwhelming. Dawn laugh-cried and was all mixed up. She took Pinky back again and hugged her old friend closer than ever.

"Thank you so much, Dakota… You're the best friend ever." She hugged her too, appreciating her tremendously, but behind them was Mr. Hart. He saw the act and wasn't pleased with it.

"Princess, that gift was for you!" He nearly barked. It was a special gift indeed and he wanted it to be for his little girl only.

"But daddy!..."

"That doll is yours, don't give away any more of your gifts, do you understand? Take it back!" Dakota was in trouble, shocked that she had to. She hesitated,

"Dawn… I don't want you to hate me..."

"I understand. Thanks anyway." Dawn held out the doll to give it back, Dakota not wanting to take it and certainly not wanting to hurt her friend. Mr. Hart was impatient, impersonal about the matter. He only cared for his daughter.

"Now, Dakota." His breath caught as a walking stick lightly tapped his shoulder. Baba had quietly approached him, letting him know well that he wasn't the only one who witnessed this kindness.

"Alexander, you leave these two alone or I'll show the whole town how you were beaten by an old lady." Mr. Hart considered for a moment. He looked at Dawn with a harsh glare of disdain, and retreated with his dignity intact, for the most part. Baba lowered her walking stick and winked at the two girls with a cunning smile before she rejoined the party inside. Dakota laughed and was so glad she didn't have to take the doll back after all.

"Your grandma is awesome!" She giggled.

The birthday party went on until it stopped being about Dakota's birthday and lapsed hazily into a ruckus of drunken singing, darts, and card games. The pub stayed alive for many more hours into the night as the town's farmers and workers drank their hardships away. The girls had left long before this, walking with Baba to the top of the hill so they could dance with the fireflies under the full moon and billions of stars. They could see the entire hamlet from the hilltop, and the shore that sighed below its whispering cliffs.

"Photuris lucicrescens!" Dawn called out, familiar with the bug that eluded her grasp back in Hamshire Heights, but here in Olannglas, there were thousands of them floating around. If she still had her book, she would've scratched a hundred checkmarks and wrote 'found on hilltop with friend'. The girls spun around and ran through the clouds of twinkling insects. Dawn couldn't be happier with her grandmother and her best friend, and the very magic of this place was beginning to show itself to her. The somber village and the nice folks, it was no wonder that Baba chose this place to retire and live the rest of her life here. Dawn was also starting to understand why Dakota never wanted to leave, and the girls' sentiments became a mutual one.

Their fun was interrupted by Baba when she noticed a group with lanterns and torches approaching the town from the front, traveling the one road that connected the village to the rest of the island. The girls stood to Baba's side.

"Who are they?" Dawn asked. She counted that there must have been about a dozen mammals in this group.

"Oh sunshine, I hoped that you would never have to see this." Baba lamented. Dakota tugged on Dawn's shirt sleeve and was terrified.

"Animberg predators..." She cowered behind them, wanting to run and hide. Baba walked off briskly down the hill towards the center of the village, Dawn and Dakota going after her as well.

"What's happening, Baba?" Dawn was confused, Dakota was afraid. The group came closer to the edge of the village, and the only one to greet them was Constable Racka.

The dozen rowdy predators caused a scene at the edge of the town. They hailed from the city of Animberg, a place consisting of a dominating percentage of predators, and the prey lived outside of the main city in the countryside or among the islands. These predators were of wolves, lions, badgers, bears, and many more, altogether too prideful of who they were. They indulged in their aggressive natures, and some took it too far. The sort that was visiting Olannglas tonight was a group of university students looking to initiate the new pledges into their fraternity. That didn't make their torches and clubs any less dangerous, the game was always the same. The young group howled and roared, and the prey of the village hid behind their locked doors, except one, the constable.

As the group approached the main avenue of the village, Racka stood defiantly against their numbers with a billy club in each of his tight fists. His stance was strong and tall, and if Dawn hadn't met the kind ram before, she could have easily been mistaken him for a force of nature. A burly alpha wolf stepped up to Racka, matching his size, and his mean streak was evident in his eyes.

"Well, lookie here lads, we have ourselves a right brave one." The group chuckled, outnumbering the constable ten to one. "Don't get me wrong, the stronger they are, the tastier the meat!" Several members of the Animberg group starting shaking their sticks, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to indulge their primal hunting instincts and terrorize the village. Baba and the girls were approaching the pub halfway down the street, they were looking for protection in the herd. Inside the pub, anyone could've heard a pin drop. Dawn watched through the open shutters of the window, she was too curious.

"He's going to fight them off, right?" Dawn asked foolishly. The gallery of townsfolk looked down upon themselves. They all sat in their chairs silently, waiting for the storm to blow over, waiting for whatever would happen to Racka to happen. "Isn't anyone going to help him?" They were pitiful, they were cowards, and Dawn didn't understand why. The only brave one was Racka, and herself. She acknowledged that he was outnumbered, and backed away from the window, limping quickly through the pub to the door. Baba tried to stop her.

"Sunshine! You can't go out there!" Dawn said nothing and took her walking stick from her with a jerk. Baba braced herself on a chair as the little sheep threw open the pub's wide main door.

Dawn emerged into the street, holding the stick with the intent to do harm. Aside from Racka, she was the only other brave sheep, even with the lumbering cast around her leg. The pack of predators saw her coming and stopped their howling and threats. Constable turned around and saw her join him, she didn't belong there.

"Petal! What are ya doing!? Go back inside!" The wolves snickered at her and the heavy stick she held in her paws. The alpha spoke to her with a terrifying growl.

"Oh, what have we here? What do you plan to do with that big stick?" The alpha got too close, and Dawn took a page right out of Baba's book. She swung the walking stick swiftly with both paws and crashed it into the head of the alpha. He shrieked once with pain and shock, and stumbled back into his buddies. The predators were surprised that the little sheep was bold enough to take a whack at them. Constable Racka laughed at the spectacle she had caused.

"Aye laddy, there's plenty more where that came from!" He spoke confidently, brandishing his clubs and standing prouder than ever. The pub door opened, and out poured its patrons into the street. They quietly marched up behind Dawn and the constable, forming a fortress of sheep, goats, and deer that couldn't stand the ridicule of these radicals any longer. Baba took back her walking stick and twirled it once with skill, she made it clear that she was Dawn's grandmother and she was not to be trifled with. Dakota joined Dawn at her side as well, taking her paw for strength although she was scared and shaking, coming face to face with the likes of those who caused her ugly burn scar. The entirety of the village was ready to defend it, either angry from their mistreatment, or filled with liquid courage, they would fight, and Dawn inspired their hearts and their resolve. Dawn smirked devilishly at the group of predators.

"Looks like we outnumber you ten to one!" The wall of prey behind her sneered and growled, itching to get even. One of the townspeople yelled out.

"We're sick of your shenanigans!" The morale of the herd was boosted as they cheered in revelled agreeance. The predators slowly backed up, paws up to signal they concede defeat and that they wanted to leave. Of course, the townsfolk weren't going to let them. Racka roared with a battle cry and rushed after the intruders. Baba snatched the girls and huddled around them as the entire village flowed around them to chase the predators back to where they came from, back to their city. Some of the predators, unfortunately, met the fists and horns of the villagers, and scattered back where they came from with their tails tucked between their legs. The townsfolk cheered as one, never before standing up to the intruders that seldom bothered their peaceful lives. The village was made safe again. Dakota was shaking, holding on to Baba for her life, Dawn was proud of her bravery, and proud of the people for standing up for themselves.

The next morning, the constable visited Baba's hut to help remove Dawn's leg cast. She sat on the edge of the bed with Pinky in her little room, waiting patiently as the straight-horned ram knelt down before her. The time had come and she had been walking around on it uninhibited without any trouble for some time. The three months required passed, and she was more than ready to have it removed. Baba held her paw as Racka delicately sawed a line down the sides with a small carpenters saw. With a bit of effort, the cast was already beginning to loosen up and it was ready to free her leg of its clutches. Racka broke the cast apart with his strong arms, and off it came in a poof of powder and packing. Dawn smiled happily, immediately reaching down to scratch at her leg with a passion.

"Ahhhh… That thing was sooooo itchy!" Racka chuckled.

"You should be right as rain now, petal. Go find yer friend and go play! But still go easy on yer leg for a little while." Dawn nodded enthusiastically and Baba was glad to have that terrible reminder gone. Dawn saw the cast parts sitting on the floor, and she picked them up with an odd fondness.

"I think I want to keep it." She told them as she saw how Dakota's name was written on it and its decorations made the unfortunate thing into a beautiful keepsake. She opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and opened the box that once belonged to her new Pinky. The box was now filled with cards and drawings Dakota had made for her, a crafty necklace of flowers, even a cool glass bottle from when they shared a soda-pop. She carefully placed the cast pieces inside, making sure the letters of Dakota's name was on top so she'd see it every time she added something to her box of good things. She turned around and gave the amazing Racka and Baba a big hug.

"Go play, sunshine. Racka and I will be here." Baba told her.

"May I go into the forest?" Dawn asked, and Baba smiled.

"You sure can. I know every tree in those woods, it's impossible to get lost. One side has the mountains, and the other is the town by the sea. The sound of the ocean will always guide you home." She picked up the book of wild flowers she had first found in the general store, Baba had kindly bought it for her, and left to go on a hunt with Dakota.

Right after Dawn had exited the hut, she heard her name through the open window. Baba had mentioned it and she was too curious at the moment. She snuck over to the half-open window and eavesdropped. Racka sounded concerned.

"Now what did you want to talk to me about Mrs. Bellwether?" He asked. With an audible sigh, she replied.

"Her parents… Neither of them want custody. They're abandoning her here with us… But, I feel this isn't the right place for her. She's not like the island sheep at all, not like any sheep I know." Dawn's emotions became heavy from the news of her parents. Hearing once again that they didn't want her, didn't love her. She sighed herself, and remembered how nice it is in Olannglas, she has friends, people who understood her, knew her. She was content and happy with how her life had changed, and she was grateful for Baba's wisdom to remove her from the torment of Hamshire Heights. If her parents didn't want her, she didn't want them. She wouldn't look back, she would move on, running forward as life went on. She stretched out her leg and did just that. She was filled with energy to see her friend, to visit the forest, and be a carefree child without any more discord.

She entered the shop and its bell rang to make her presence known. Dakota was sweeping the floor as she came in and immediately noticed her missing cast.

"You got it taken off!" She dropped the broom and the girls hugged each other joyously. "I want to go everywhere with you!" The excitement got the attention of Mr. Hart, who was stocking a shelf of little bottles behind the front counter.

"You're not going anywhere anytime soon, princess." He said sternly. Dakota was reminded and her expression fell into defeat.

"Oh yeah... I got in trouble, I'm grounded… I shouldn't have been with you when you stood up to those Animberg jerks." Dawn didn't understand.

"Why? We won!" Mr. Hart stepped in and between the girls, cutting their conversation abruptly short.

"Dawn, think about what you've done! You put her in danger!" Dawn still didn't understand. She thought she helped, the town was safe and unharmed because she proved sheep can be a force to be reckoned with. Dakota picked the broom up and began sweeping again.

"Maybe I'll see you next week. Goodbye Dawn." She sadly informed how long her punishment was. Dawn quietly exited the store, confused and upset.

Along the avenue of the village, there was a bush with beautiful yellow flowers blooming all over it. She paged through her book of flowers and identified it easily by the picture.

"Ulex europaeus, commonly known as a Gorse." She checked it off on the page by its name, and wrote 'found by Mr. Landrace's house' beneath the picture. "A Gorse is a Gorse of course."

"Dawn!" Dakota called behind her as she jogged down the street. She was surprised and happy to see her friend free of the punishments of her father.

"Dakota? I thought you were grounded?" She huffed and caught her breath before answering her question.

"Daddy just wants me to be safe. I was so sad when you left, so he let me go if I promised to help him in the shop a little bit each day for the whole summer." Dawn couldn't believe it, she was sure that she wouldn't see her for a week and was ecstatic that her father decided to be reasonable.

"That's wonderful! I just found a Gorse bush for my flower book. Baba told me how to navigate the forest, so let's go see how many flowers we can find." Dakota seemed unsure about leaving the village, even more unsure about going into the forest between it and the mountains. She thought for a moment about her brave friend, and found confidence in her. Despite her timid demeanor, she went along with her into the woods.

The girls walked along a well-trampled trail between the surrounding trees and underbrush, all hazed in the cool morning fog. Shafts of light beamed through the canopy to speckle the ferns all around their hooves, and the fresh air was relaxing in the quiet wood. Dawn helped Dakota over a dogwood that had fallen across the path, and she noticed the flowering vine that crept across it. She cataloged it as she had the Gorse and moved on. Dawn was thinking about the previous night, and had questions about it.

"Dakota, why does everyone hate Animberg?" Dakota scoffed and started explaining something she's always known, in fact she was born into it.

"Predators are mean, and they think they can pick on us prey."

"Racka is strong though, he can fight them." Dawn remembered the powerful ram and was still glad to have him as a friend. They arrived at a clearing and stopped to rest. Dakota continued.

"You were right though, we are stronger together. Everyone usually hides and lock their doors. We're all scared and we just want to be left alone, I want to be left alone too."

"I'm not scared of predators, I had a friend who was a very sweet lion. They're not all bad." Dakota shook her head. Dawn wasn't understanding some fundamental point.

"Yes they are, Dawn. You're a sheep, I'm a deer, we can't change what we are and predators will always be predators. They will hurt us for the rest of our lives. It's just the way it is, the way it always has been, and always will be. Maybe if predators burned your house down and you lost your mother, you would get it... I hate predators, I hate them all..." Dawn didn't know how to respond to this. This truth had been dropped on her and she had been naive to the obvious, she would be a sheep forever. No matter how smart, courageous, important she may become, this one thing could never be changed. She would always retain a certain degree of discount from the world, and being smaller than average wouldn't help for any imaginable good. Dawn tapped at the bell around her neck, remembering its lesson, what Baba had told her.

"But anyone can be anything," She said. "I really can be a biologist if I wanted to."

"But you'll still be a sheep, and one day, a predator will stop you from being happy because you're a sheep, and you will be left with a scar to remind you where you belong. You're lucky only your leg was broken..." Dakota told her. Dawn felt her words had a prophetic sense to them, she couldn't handle anymore and she felt like her hopes and dreams were being washed away, invalidated by something so far beyond her control. The hope that Baba had instilled in her was compromised. In its place, she was beginning to feel raw oppression.

Dawn walked off quietly, defeated by the poor paw of cards she had been dealt. She clutched at the book in her arms, and sniffed back a tear. Her feelings hurt as she tried to settle into this new world that had fissured across her life's path. Dakota followed her, worried that she would be mad at her for telling her how things actually were.

"Dawn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad." Dawn wiped the tears from her eyes and hugged her.

"It's ok. I'll just have to work harder than anyone. I still want to be a biologist, and when I have time, I'll visit you. I'll always be a sheep so I'll always belong here, this is my home." Dakota smiled widely, happy that she acknowledged that she was understood. Dawn realized that she didn't want to lose her friend to ambition.

"Yeah, I'll probably own the shop some day…" Dawn nodded, and the future became a little brighter. She wouldn't give up or give in. She would try everything.

A silence fell between the girls for a moment as they stood in the clearing. Just off the edge, Dawn saw something that made her squeal with excitement. It startled Dakota but then she saw what had made her friend jump. Dawn rushed over to a low lying bush.

"Strawberries!" She cried out. Plucking a few that were deep red and ripe, she chomped into one, enjoying every bit of it. She grabbed another big one and gave it to Dakota.

"I don't like strawberries. I like greens, especially Alfalfa." She said.

"Oh, more for me then." Dawn grinned, plucking a few more and placing them in her upturned shirt to carry them. Dakota looked around a bit more and found something she could eat, there too was a small patch of her favorite Alfalfa. She did the same, gathering leaves and flowers in her shirt. The girls took their snacks and sat together on a low mossy stone in the clearing. The fog had lifted and the world around them was deep and lush with life again. Bugs flittered about in the sun and Dakota took a deep breath of the fresh air.

"I never want to leave this place." She said. "It's beautiful here." Dawn took a moment from her juicy strawberries to see what Dakota had gathered, seeing the salad she picked had flowers all over it.

"Oh, Alfalfa flowers!"

"Yeah! They're my favorite part." Dawn paged through her flower book, finding the page for Alfalfa and checking it. She wrote 'found in woods with Dakota' and marked it off on the table of contents. She looked at the pile of greens again, seeing something else. She flipped through the pages and identified the flower.

"Midnicampum holicithias?" She read. "Commonly known as Night Howler."

"It's delicious is what it is… I, uh… I feel funny..." After reading further, Dawn slapped the salad away from Dakota. Fear in her eyes, she yelled.

"It's poisonous!" Dakota spat out what she had in her mouth the best she could, panicking hysterically.

"Oh no! Am I going to be ok!? What does the book say?"

"It just says it's poisonous!" Dakota stood up and began pacing back and forth. Dawn closed the book, standing and dumping her strawberries to the ground.

"We need to go back, we need-" Dakota lurched over, heaving and convulsing uncontrollably. Dawn grabbed her, tried to pull her off the ground but she was shoved away when Dakota fell down to stand on all-fours. She snarled and huffed, eyes glazing over maniacally as her mind went. "Help… me…" she choked out then she wasn't Dakota anymore, she was a beast. She shook her head violently and screamed at her.

"Dakota are you ok!? Dakota!... Dakota?" Dawn was filled with fear, every instinct she had was ablaze with terror and the need to run for her life. She shuffled back and picked herself off the ground and took off running as fast as she could. Dakota chased her like a ravenous animal, primitive and savage. Dawn fled fast, but as she jumped over the fallen dogwood, her skirt snagged and she fell forward onto her face. She pulled the skirt loose with a hard ripping yank while Dakota climbed the log and snarled over her, ready to catch her prey. Dawn screamed loudly, louder than ever in complete soul-rending terror, and the peace of the forest was shattered. The folks in the town must've heard and a few of them, Constable Racka included, came running to the source of the alarming scream. Dakota leaped on top of Dawn, scratching and biting at her as Dawn held her off. Her maw wildly snapped at the air over her face, and Dawn screamed again. Racka was there first as he snatched Dakota by the shoulders, but he hadn't a clue how chaotic she was.

"What the-" Dakota almost wriggled loose when Mr. Landrace and his son arrived, and all three of them required all of their strength to subdue the rabid little doe. Dawn huddled in on herself, bruised and frightened from the fall and attack. She shook in fear as Mr. Morrieno the carpenter picked her off the ground. She didn't realize she was being carried home, all she cared about was her friend and hoped she'd be ok. Please let her be ok.

The whole village was stunned by the rampaging little girl. She had to be restrained with belts and was held by the burly constable in the camper of Mr. Hart's truck as they drove. They had no choice but to go to Animberg to treat the toxins she had ingested. Dawn took it the hardest, not understanding how her friend could've turned into a crazed beast and attack her. She laid in her bed for the rest of the day, only moving the next day when Baba had asked if she wanted to go visit her in the hospital. She went quietly of course.

The large red brick hospital stood five stories tall and was labeled with a big sign and cross to signify they were at the right place. Reading 'Animberg Clemency Hospital' over the main door, Baba and Dawn entered the cold sterile environment within. Dawn was still scared, but knew once she saw her best friend, she would have peace in her heart again. They both would get better and life would continue on with a little more wisdom not go near Night Howlers. Baba asked the nurse at the front desk and she was given a room number. Dawn held Baba's paw as they rode in the elevator which had dinged after a short ride to the fourth floor. Doors parting, Baba and Dawn walked out and searched for room 441. Dawn read the number on the doors and ran ahead to see if her best friend was ok.

"Dakota!" She called out as she entered the clean room with a single bed.

It was empty.

The bed was made and there was no sign that anyone had ever been there. She was confused and upset like a cruel joke had been played on her. Baba caught up, seeing the empty room for herself, and was also baffled by its missing patient. She grabbed the attention of the nurse sitting close by at a circular desk covered in charts and medical supplies.

"Pardon me, there was a little girl in room 441, where is she now?" The nurse had a troubled look on her face. They both looked to Dawn, and the nurse arose from her seat. She pulled Baba aside and spoke privately.

"That poor girl... she passed… the doctor tried sedating her and she couldn't withstand it..." Baba was beyond shocked. Both the nurse and Baba slowly saw Dawn looking back at them with an excruciating pain in her eyes. Her tears ran free as she stood still as a statue. Baba couldn't bear it herself and began to cry for them both.

"No…" Dawn cried. "No! NO NO NO NOOOO! THIS ISN'T FAIR! YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" The outrage quickly exhausted into loud wrenching sobs. Dawn crumbled to her knees in despair while Baba ran to her and covered her with her arms, pulling her head and face into her to bosom. She held her until she calmed down enough to be moved. The tragedy caught the attention of the staff and other patients, one of which felt the need to remark.

"Another hysterical child? Someone should sedate that one too." Baba had had enough. With all of her strength, she scooped up Dawn and began walking out with the devastated little sheep, then most unexpectedly, Mr. Hart cut her off at the elevator.

"Your granddaughter did this!"

"It was an accident, Alexander." Baba had no time or patience for petty squabbling or tossing blame. Mr. Hart was blocking the elevator doors, he wasn't going to let them through.

"She was my only daughter! She was all I had left! All I ever wanted was the best for her then your little brat came around and muddied everything! I demand restitution!" He grabbed Dawn's arm and almost caused Baba to drop her, but she held firm. With a whip of her arm, her walking stick spun and flew into the side of Mr. Hart's head, knocking him down with a loud woody crack as it hit his skull. She had effectively incapacitated him to the tile hospital floor and everyone within sight was staring at the spectacle in dead silence.

"Touch my granddaughter again and I will break your bones." She warned him. The elevator dinged with open doors, and they left. There was nothing left for them here.

The world was a different color now, and would never be the same ever again. Dawn had slunk into her bed, and had remained there for four days, hardly moving, hardly eating, mostly hurting. It broke Baba's heart into pieces to see her dear grandchild so unbearably destroyed. Dawn's heavy heart couldn't take anymore and all she wanted to do was lay there until the world ended, and nothing more would remind her of how happy she was for too brief of a time. There was little Baba could do for her but to make her comfortable, tell her it wasn't her fault, tell her anything from truth to lies. Baba had to answer her door a lot in the few days after the visit to the hospital. Word traveled fast and the people of the village sent their condolences more for Dawn than Mr. Hart. He wanted to be left alone as well, and as far as anyone knew, the shop was closed until further notice.

The day wasted away, rolling quietly onward into the early evening. The fog had lifted completely and the sun glared through the slats of her wooden bedroom window. Baba came in and opened it for fresh air, letting the sounds of the outside world bring some flavor to the dismal little bedroom.

"Sunshine?" Baba asked quietly. "I'm going to make some cookies, would you like to help?" Dawn said nothing and rolled over to huddle into the wall her bed sat against. Baba sighed, she'd have to bake alone. She bent down with strain and picked Pinky from the floor and sat her in Dawn's arms. She held it, knowing that not even it was impervious to death, she'd never lose Pinky again, she swore it to herself. Dawn sat up and pulled the covers off. She held the pink sheep doll in her paw as she went to her dresser and pulled the bottom drawer open. She lifted the lid off of the box of memories and placed the doll inside, looking at it in its resting place for a brief moment and then returned the lid. She closed the drawer, and stood there, staring at nothing as she learned that when Dakota died, so did her childhood. Baba placed a paw on her shoulder and spoke to her. "I'm going to make those cookies now, maybe that will make everyone feel a little better." Dawn sat back down on the edge of her bed, and just did nothing.

Baba clamored around in her kitchen and the time for fresh cookies had come again. Dawn normally would be excited, but the sweet aroma attracted no little sheep this time. Dawn stood in the doorway of her room, looking into the kitchen as Baba worked her cookie-magic. Baba noticed her and sighed, taking a freshly cooled one from the basket and presented it with a solemn smile. Dawn took it and looked at its perfection lying in her paw. She once loved Baba's cookies, and now she was numb to a degree that all she could feel was a seething anger and burdening pain. No cookie in the world would fix any of this, it was childish to believe such a thing.

"Sunshine, the pain will pass, and the bad memories will fade. You'll be happy again-"

"No!" She yelled out, and threw the cookie to the floorboards, watching it smash into a thousand crumbs. "I will never be happy! I can't! I'm sick of being told that everything will be ok when they never will! I hate you!" Baba was immediately and completely heartbroken. Dawn ran across the hut and through the front door, out into the cool evening air and the clear fiery sunset beyond the hill between the hut and the village.

"Sunshine! Please, I didn't mean-" Dawn had run out ear-shot and started up the path on the hill. Running and sobbing as if she could run away from the trauma that followed her to anywhere she would ever go. She ran away from it all and stopped at the top of the hill, panting and out of breath. She wiped the tears from her cheek and gazed upon the sunset properly, seeing the razor's edge where the ocean met the sky, the fiery clouds ablaze in passionate hues, and the silhouettes of the islands resting on the water. The calm ocean ebbed and flowed, the cool sea breeze blowing at her wool, and the humbling sighs of the distant crashing waves far below the cliffs. It was as if Mother Nature had painted it herself, none like any she has ever seen, a sunset just for her, and she knew Dakota was out there somewhere. She heard Baba stepping up the hill behind her, every other step was the distinct clack of her walking stick on the stone cobble path. Dawn felt shameful of the way she acted, and wanted to make things right.

"I… I'm sorry, Baba… I'm just too sad..." Dawn spoke out to her. She turned when she heard the rattling of her walking stick fall to the path. "Baba?" Dawn saw her posture fail, and she fell to a knee with a blank expression. The cookies she had stored in the basket to deliver had scattered over the ground. "Baba!" Dawn cried out as she ran to her into the shadow down the hill. Baba reached but Dawn couldn't get to her before she had collapsed flat to the cobble. "Baba! Please get up! Baba! Please! I need you! BABA!" She didn't move, Dawn pushed on her shoulder trying to get any response from her grandmother. With a final deep sigh, Baba passed on. "Baba! Please wake up!" Dawn screamed. "BABA! BABAAAAAAAA!" Her screams were heard again by Mr. Landrace and Constable Racka. Both coming to her side and seeing the town's fallen matriarch. Racka held Dawn to him, covering her eyes and taking her away, making sure she didn't see when volunteers from the village came to take her body. As for the bright little sheep, her world became darker than ever before. No one would ever call her sunshine ever again.

Dawn and the constable sat quietly on a low stone wall, watching the distant funeral pyre burn a bright orange glow into the dark and cloudy night. She didn't say anything, and the constable felt the weight of the situation on his own shoulders as he realized that she was now his responsibility.

"Petal," he spoke, laying his paw on the back of her wooly head. "I'm so sorry ya had to see that. We all loved yer grandmother so much." Dawn said nothing, just staring at the glowing ember. The constable went on. "Yer a bright young lass, so I'm gonna make sure ya go to a good school. That's what she would've wanted. We'll keep an eye on her home for ya, if ya ever want to come home, it'll be here." He made her a promise and intended to keep it, she was sure the entire village would as well.

The coming days were lonely and Racka made the arrangements to take her to Animberg himself to enroll her into the all-girls academy at the end of the summer. The school was also all predators, and almost didn't accept her because of her species alone. If Racka wasn't an official constable, the dean would've never accepted the long tragic story that came with Dawn. The dean of admissions took pity on her and appointed her a room of her own, just to make sure she had her own space and no bothersome roommate or distractions.

At the earliest chance, Dawn tried to call her parents' home phone, but the call couldn't go through and the number she had dialed had been disconnected. She then wrote a long letter to them, but it returned, unable to be forwarded. Even the neglect of her parents would've been better than where she currently was, and it seemed that there was no escape. She quickly gave up after that to contact her parents, and then she thought she might be better without them. All she wanted was someone to talk with, to laugh and cry with, anyone, anything.

Summer came again after her first school year. Most of the girls went to their family's homes to spend the summers, but not the little sheep, she was stranded at the academy. She had been left well alone by the other girls, not because she seemed depressing to be around, not because she was too smart for them, but because she had a brooding anger about her. Even to wolves and lions, it was frightening, almost threatening at an instinctual level. The brave ones picked on her wool and her size to make her angry just for sport, and her thoughts and opinions were often dismissed immediately, sometimes dismissed maliciously, no matter how true or scientific they were. It made her develop a bitter charm just to survive in the wolf packs and lion dens, and she was able to project a facade of happiness despite there was little of that left in her. Being surrounded by predators, she learned to deal with them, and in time, was able to contend with them with a sense of her own 'inner wolf'. The unhealthy environment was like a prison, and it institutionalized a volatile creature with terrifying tendencies.

Her grades maintained as she sought comfort and validation from her achievements, but with no one to share them with, they were hollow victories. This went on for the rest of her school years, and she studied hard to become something more than what she is. Her grandmother's words still remained, ringing in that bell, believing wholeheartedly that anyone can be anything, even dreaming of being a different species. Her graduation came and she accepted her diploma and honors with a standard applause, hoping to see her parents in the crowd, showering her with pride and congratulations, but as things always were, it was just another hollow victory.

Dawn had broadened her horizons to search for a good college, landing at Zootopia University, a city notably comprised of prey, and she liked that idea, she felt she could have a life there. She was so very done with the Emerald Isles, Animberg, and Olannglas. She made an effort to be far from the pain that haunted her, and in Zootopia, she was finding another new beginning, and found some peace once again.

Her first day of her first year was also the first day of Leodore Lionheart's last year at the university. She bumped into a monumental lion in the hallway, dropping her little stack of folders in a scatter to the floor. The bumbling fool wasn't looking where he was going and walked right into her.

"Oh, muttonchops…" She spoke in a familiar squeaky voice. She began gathering the papers as Leodore bent down to help. In a brief recognition, he found that he knew her, and more ever, she had found him.

"Dawn?" He asked in disbelief. She looked up and adjusted her familiar glasses. She hardly recognized him, he had grown ten times bigger. "Dawn Bellwether?" His voice was clear, confident, and resonated with poise and thunder. She saw the sweet lion's face grown up and mature, looking back at her and remembering fondly how he had liked her when they lived in Hamshire Heights. Across his nose was the scar from that defining moment, and he didn't seem to care about it, perhaps he wore it as a reminder. His eyes softened for her, and she blushed a rosy hue when she replied.

"L-Leodore Lionheart… It's been ages." He helped her up and gathered the last of her fallen papers.

"It certainly has. I've been very busy, I'm on the fast-track to becoming mayor of this city. Times are changing and I have big ideas for the future!" Her heart stirred, he had returned to her life after all of the loss and sadness, and he stood tall like a pillar of hope. She nearly shook in her hooves, standing in his presence. "Bellwether, it was you who had shown me that I could stand up to that Desmond kid, he was such a jerk, and you believed in me, believed that I could one day roar… thank you." He smiled at her. She blushed more intensely and bashfully had to ask.

"Oh, it was nothing… Leo, do you remember, at the tree in the woods, do you still-"

"Like you?" Dawn's face had advanced from rosy to red. Her heart was fluttering so fast, and she thought so confidently that after all of the powerful pain she had experienced, her life would finally start and she could be happy. This would be the prize for all of her strife. She loved him, loved his beauty, his voice, his size, his power, everything he was. She gripped her books and folders tightly, and realized she was about to be late for class.

"Oh! I'm going to be late!" She stepped by. "Let's get coffee sometime. See you after class!" Leodore smiled at her and she appreciated that she still had a friend, a mighty friend, one she hoped that would be around for a while.

Classes had ended for the day and Dawn sat beneath a shady tree in ZU's quad, sipping her coffee. She wrote her schedule out in her planner, leaving a bit of free time for any chance she could have to spend a moment with Leodore. She marked each window of opportunity with only a heart and nothing else. She saw him exiting with a group of colleagues and she peeked up, smoothing her wool and skirt out to be more presentable. She stood and waited, and he noticed her with a smile. He parted from the group and joined her beneath the tree with his own coffee, sliding down the trunk with a sigh of relief and placed his arms behind his big fluffy head. He relaxed as Dawn scooted up next him.

"How was your first day?" He asked. She giggled as she replied.

"Oh, it was fine, basic stuff. You?" Leodore chuckled.

"Oh, well, I managed to land a paper airplane in Professor Bovini's buffalo hair. Took him a moment to find out why people were snickering." He grinned proudly, Dawn was a little surprised but entertained, wishing she was there when it happened. She sat with him beneath the tree in the quad and stared up at the rolling clouds as they drifted by. He put his giant lion arm and paw around her and pulled her into him. She timidly accepted the gesture with a startled squeak and then leaned on him. She pointed a finger up at a big shapely cloud in the far blue sky.

"That one looks like a lion." She patted on his shirt and smiled at him fondly. Leodore chuckled and pointed a claw at a different one, a round cottony one.

"That one looks like your head." He grinned and she elbowed him, not that she could ever possibly hurt him. "As a matter of fact, they all look like your head." She couldn't really deny that. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air. When the peace really settled on her, he had asked. "So, where did you go?" Dawn sat up.

"What do you mean?"

"When we were kids, you disappeared. I tried to find you, tried to say I was sorry but you were gone." Dawn didn't want to take a trip down memory lane, she had just left all of that behind, and yet she didn't want to keep her lion unknowing. They both were much older, so she figured a little explanation was due.

"My parents divorced." She started. "My grandmother took me in, she brought me to a village in the Emerald Isles. Everyone was nice and I had the best friend ever…" her voice trailed off. She took a deep and sorrowful breath, really not wanting to say more.

"And?" Leodore asked curiously, Dawn hesitated.

"And my friend... and my grandmother… died…" Leodore was taken aback by the news. She was such a sweet sheep to him, and he seemed to be burdened by the tragic piece of information.

"...I'm so sorry…" He said sincerely. Dawn continued quietly after one more hard sigh.

"I was sent to an all-girls academy in Animberg, an all-predator city. I hated it there, always so little and always just 'the sheep'. That's where I've been until now." Leodore held her close and patted her wooly head softly. If anyone was none the wiser, anyone would've thought they were together, just a couple having coffee beneath a tree. "But that's in the past, you mentioned you were going to be mayor?" Leo's voice boomed as he chuckled confidently.

"My mother has great connections, and like I said, I have some big ideas and the political support. I want to break the boundaries of stereotypes. I'd like to see a bunny scientist or a fox lawyer. Something you inspired me to see." Dawn looked up as he looked down. "Maybe even a sheep politician. I want to write a bill that will liberate mammals of their social molds. I'll call it the… uhm… bill of no more stereotypes or something. I haven't thought of a good name for it yet." He added. Dawn scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"How about… the mammal inclusion initiative, or whatever you want." Leodore grinned widely with the rebranding.

"No-no, that's good, it sounds official. I'll need a catchy campaign slogan too." She had the perfect one, one she's never forgotten.

"Anyone can be anything." He loved it, and the feeling of success fell over them both. She smiled with him, and he had another question for her.

"What's your study anyway?" He asked.

"Biology." Dawn said it without enthusiasm. It had been her pride and joy for so long but as she felt it out, it no longer seemed like she wanted it. Biology had always been her goal for her hard work, but now that she no longer needed her dream as a crutch to keep going, she no longer wanted it altogether. In that moment she abandoned that dream, and sensed that a nice new and far more important career would be better suited for her. She didn't want anymore adventure, she wanted to stay put. "Ya know," she said to Leodore. "You'll be needing an assistant."

"That's a fantastic idea, do you-" she was already nodding her head vigorously to answer him, and Baba's bell jingled loudly. He hugged her closer to his side and fanned his large paw out across the sky. "Look out Zootopia-"

"-here we come!" She fully flopped down into his thigh, laying her head on his leg and kicking her hooves out into the soft grass. Her inner wolf was put to rest, and she finally felt at peace with the world, peace with herself as the sheep she is. Her eyes teared up, so filled with joy that she found her kind Leo. "Although, I should probably write your speeches for you." Leodore agreed. Dawn would see the admissions office about changing her field of study from biology to political science soon enough.

'Anyone can be anything' was the magical passphrase into the mayor's seat. The lion and sheep duo won the election by a landslide, inspiring the mammals of Zootopia to do more, dare more, and be more. It was slow at first, but real change began to show itself near the end of their first four-year term, which propelled them into a second term, a third, a fourth, it was unclear how long their run would last. However, Leodore had become lax over the years, confident that his sheep assistant would take care of things on his behalf and make his job easier. She loved him, and would do anything to keep him happy. Their relationship remained very professional and it was better that way even though she took on a lot of extra responsibilities in the name of love. The last term was the roughest, because something fundamentally changed with Leodore, and she couldn't figure out why, he didn't really talk to her much anymore. She worried she had done something wrong to upset him. He wanted to be in the spotlight more, and his ego inflated unbearably so. He almost kept her hidden from the press and cameras, and never explained his actions to any satisfaction. Then again, she wasn't concerned enough to ask, yet.

Assistant Mayor Bellwether bumbled into city hall and Gazelle's latest single 'Try Everything' was thoroughly wedged between her ears, she was humming its melody cheerfully. Her 'world's greatest assistant mayor' mug was full of coffee and she liked how Leodore had scribbled out 'dad' and corrected it with a red marker. It had been the only gift she had ever gotten from him, though gifts weren't commonplace between them in a small sense, they had a city to run and Bellwether's style of a gift for the big lion was vacation time while she had a moment to sit in the big chair and play Mayor until he returned. It made her feel important, appreciated, and above all, in control. She loved that the most, she had always been at the mercy of the world but when she sat in that seat, she felt invulnerable.

Bellwether sat the mug on the receptionist's desk, which seemed enormous compared to the tinier desk sitting upon it that was the real receptionist's desk. It belonged to Ms. Raatz.

"Good morning Ms. Bellwether." The gray little rodent greeted, and was a fine example of the mammal inclusion initiative, she was excellent at her job. She stepped away from her tiny desk and held up an envelope twice her size.

"What's this?"

"It's an invite to my friend Fru Fru's bachelorette party! She met a nice guy after she caught the bouquet, don't you remember?" Bellwether was out of the loop, normally she kept track of everything and this was baffling to her.

"Uh, no I don't, exactly… I've just been so busy, could you remind me?" The little rat began typing and clicking away at her tiny computer as she explained.

"At Mayor Lionheart's wedding two years ago. You were there, weren't you?" Bellwether's heart stopped. She froze long enough to concern Ms. Raatz.

"Bellwether?"

"I… I never knew. No one told me…" she didn't know what hurt the most, Leodore marrying someone else, not being invited, being lied to, being used, or being ignored or neglected. She took her coffee and walked slowly off.

"Ms. Bellwether?" The rodent called after her, but she never got a response.

Bellwether sat at her own desk tucked back into a supply closet stunned. The years of files and documents piled up around her as she worked to reinvent the city and its people. Leodore was a great speaker and a great public face, but he wasn't that smart. She couldn't believe he was married, it couldn't have been true. She searched the records on her computer and pulled his marriage certificate, and the hard evidence on the screen shown he had chosen a lion over her. Attached to it was a birth certificate for his son as well. He was too far gone for her, he had started a family and she was left in the shadows of her dark office, out of sight so she wouldn't be in his way, perhaps not to be noticed by his wife. Her heart had been pierced and she demanded answers.

Bellwether stormed into the mayor's office the best she could, pulling the large door closed with a slam to make her presence well known. She stomped up to his desk with rage in her heart, and fury in her eyes. She had his attention in an instant while he was on the phone.

"LEO!"

"Let me call you right back." He said through the phone. Bellwether stood on the chair in front from the desk, making herself as level with the lion as she could. She let her rage burn for a moment as she didn't even know where to begin. "What's going on, Bellwether?"

"You're married!?" She yelled. It took a moment for Leodore to realize.

"Yes, I am. Sorry, I would've invited you but I needed you here." Bellwether pounded her fist onto the desk and snarled at him, scaring him back with surprise.

"For over 15 years I built you up, wrote your material, handled your affairs, and this is how you repay me? I... I loved you! I loved you since I met you when we were kids!" Leodore understood now and hardly knew how to respond to such a powerful age-old sentiment.

"I-I'm sorry, you went away and I moved on."

"I came back from so much misery and you were just… there! I was so happy to see you, and you've been ignoring me!" Leodore placed a paw on his forehead and sighed deeply.

"Look, I didn't ignore you, we're partners, you're my assistant, it's a professional arrangement." Dawn climbed up onto the desk and kicked a stack of folders out of her path.

"I changed my whole life for you! Why can't WE be married?" Leodore let his anger go, roaring back at her, and she flattened against the surface of the desk as he yelled.

"What kind of message would that send to the city!? They want a family mammal in office, and I WANT CUBS! I have a son and I love him!" He pointed his claw at her then himself a couple times, signifying their connection. "This, what we have here, will never be. You put this notion in your own head, this is your own fault." He pulled on his mane in frustration and turned around to look out at the city for a moment. "Ugh! You've always been like this, so stubborn and hopeful. We can't be doing this, our job is to run the city so it doesn't fall apart. So, I see you have a choice here, selfishly resign now, or be professional about it and finish this term with me so we can help the city!" Her inner wolf came out and she was no longer afraid, she stood defiantly like she had before but now it was against someone she loved dearly. Her heart agonized as it turned to stone.

"I want to make the city safe for prey everywhere, for all the little lambs and deer everywhere who are suffering!" Leodore was confused in an instant.

"What are you talking about? We don't live in that kind of world anymore." Bellwether trampled forward, pressing her own claw into his nose and pushing him back with it.

"I lived in that world for ten years and it's not far away at all! The mammals here don't all get along and there is too much work to be done. The city would BURN without me and you know it!" She hopped down off of the desk into the chair then onto the floor. Leodore sighed as she walked off.

"I… I did like you." He said to her quietly. It was the best she was going to get from him, and she let the returning sentiment chip her exterior.

"I know…" she replied and Leodore continued, approaching her slowly like she was dangerous.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out, maybe things would have worked if you were... less sheepish." It was the wrong thing to say, and it drove home that she was only a sheep, always a sheep, never more than a sheep, and he couldn't love her because of what she is. She fired back.

"I could've worn a neon sign for you and you would've never noticed, you BIG DUMB LIONFART!" He rushed forward, claws and teeth baring harm over her. She cowered in fear, shrieking as she thought he was going to maul her, then he backed off. She was left fallen to the floor, heart racing from the primal instinct to survive and the deep biological fear gripping at her nerves. He turned and picked up the phone from the desk then pressed the redial button. He took a deep breath to recompose himself before someone answered.

"Yes, it's me. I'll be sending my assistant to make an assessment and full report on the broken sewage line. She'll be there within the hour… you're welcome, buh-bye." He grabbed the corresponding folder from the desk and threw it at her. "Take care of this, then take the rest of the day off… Smellwether."

Evening fell upon Bellwether's condominium, and she had tried twice already to wash the smell out of her wool. She blew her wool dry with a hairdryer and changed into an evening gown, hoping she was finally clean. She flopped alone onto her couch and had no one to think about, and no one to talk to. She thought to herself that if she was mayor, she'd be able to turn the whole city around, make it peaceful. Unless Lionfart got out of the way, all he ever does is slow her down, especially now with the broken dynamic between them. She would never win an election on her own, in fact, many of her statements were discarded as the focus of the press and campaign management had all been on the charismatic Leodore. The only thing she was good for was winning the sheep vote for the lion, and that alone wouldn't win the next election. That itself was an intriguing angle as she thought more about it. She didn't need only the sheep vote, but only needed the prey vote. Unfortunately, she had put her best foot forward for Leodore, so she was back to square one.

She turned on her television and flipped through the channels, finding a boring documentary about insects to fill the dead air. The narrator droned on as she lost herself in thought, occasionally smelling a phantom odor of sewage lingering from somewhere. She had nearly given up, thinking strongly about going to her desk and typing up that selfish letter of resignation. Let the next in charge deal with Lionfart's senseless demands. The city would fall apart in a day, but she cared about the city and the prey here, and she had a lot of connections. She thought she would return home to Olannglas and quietly live out the rest of her days, perhaps settle down if she met the right ram. The narrator droned on about beetles in the background.

"As the Potato Beetle thrives in the forest, it can commonly be found around the Night Howler flower. The flower emits a natural fear pheromone that is used as a defense mechanism against insects, keeping them away so it can grow in peace. Like the Potato Beetle, a developed sense of smell renders the flower's pheromone ineffective…" Bellwether barely heard it, and before she did, the segment of the show was gone. A powerful memory surfaced, and she remembered Dakota when she ate a night howler. The show claimed mammals wouldn't be affected, but she knew that if someone ate a Night Howler, they would go berserk, they would go savage. A terrible traumatic fear filled her, and it made her think. If predators were savages, she could rise in power with the fearful prey animals of Zootopia looking to her for guidance. It could work, it was a devilish plan but she had nothing to lose. She was fed up with her life and the mistreatment. She wanted to level the playing field once and for all and she had just the colleague to help her, she called a friend from the university, Doug.

The rest you know.

Judy flopped her arm down on the bed, slapping the last page onto the disorderly pile beside her. Breathing a sigh through pursed lips, she was stunned by the story she read and came to realize that she wouldn't know what to do in the same situation. Her upbringing was so different from Bellwether's. Remembering the day when she was nine, watching television with her parents when Lionheart gave the campaign speech that changed her life, changed her world. The words she lived by that filled a great part of who she was, Bellwether wrote the speech. More so, she had passed on her grandmother's wisdom to the world. Nothing could be more precious.

Judy stood up from her bed, emotions stirring, and the clock read almost ten. She picked her phone up from the nightstand, and thumbed to mom and dad's number. Without hesitation, she pressed the call button and let the phone ring. Shortly her mom answered, her face displayed on the phone's screen, and her dad wasn't present.

"Hi, mom."

"Hi, hun! How're you doing?" She replied. Judy took a moment to think of something to say.

"My day was boring. My evening is… Uhm… I've been…" She didn't know how to explain the letter she read. The journey she took made her cautious to expose such personal material. "Hey," she changed the subject. "How's Hannah doing?" Bonnie sighed and let the chipper exterior fall.

"Not good, I'm afraid…" Judy didn't want to hear more bad things but she pressed on.

"What happened, is she ok?" Her mom looked around and made sure she had privacy before she continued talking.

"She's been… uncontrollable lately. She hates your father and doesn't want anything to do with him. She's always so depressed, so I tried to cheer her up by bringing her to the pool with some of your brothers and sisters." Judy already knew what had happened and didn't need to hear the rest. She said nothing though, and let her mom finish explaining. "I bought her a nice swimsuit but when she dropped her cover-up… Judy, she has these awful scars on her back. It made the other children uncomfortable, and the other parents thought I was hurting her."

"Oh no, mom I'm so sorry! I should've told you!" Judy covered her face and shook her head, knowing it was stupid to omit such information.

"It's ok, hun. Things are ok now. Well, not until after last night. She got really upset over the pool incident and… well, she ran away for a while. It took a thousand of us all night to find her. Eventually she came back on her own. She's quite the hide-and-seek champion. Your father is in bed early tonight, trying to catch up on sleep." Judy was terrified.

"Is she safe? Like right now?... Show me on the phone, I want to see her."

"Ok, hold on." Bonnie quietly walked to the laundry room and put the phone through the cracked open door. On a pile of shirts, Hannah slumbered peacefully, happily in her bed of soft laundry. Judy's heart was quelled, glad to know she was ok for at least the moment. "See, she's fine." Her mom told her as she walked down the hall back to the dining room.

"I just had to be sure. How is she doing in school?" That was a much lighter topic and Bonnie was more than happy to talk about it.

"She's doing wonderful! Perfect scores on everything. She's so interested in math, physics, and astrology too. A few nights ago, she and I stayed up to watch the meteor shower and look at the moon through a telescope. She's definitely going to be something when she grows up. Though she asks some pretty tough questions sometimes."

"Like what?" Judy was curious, Bonnie continued.

"Like why is the corona hotter than the sun?" Judy thought of the question and didn't even begin to have an answer.

"I don't even know what that is."

"Neither do I! You're father thinks a corona is best served ice-cold, so he doesn't know either. As long as we can kinda keep up with her, we will be fine. She still needs time to adjust." Judy smiled and was content with the conversation.

"Hey mom, thanks for updating me. It's getting late and I have a long shift tomorrow." Her mom yawned widely and let the conversation hang for a moment.

"Yeah, I gotta catch up on some sleep myself. Goodnight hun, and try not to worry too much."

"Goodnight mom." The screen blanked out and the talk was over. The room silent, she hoped Hannah wouldn't become like Bellwether because of a rough life and the world breaking her spirit. She had to protect Hannah, keep her on a straight path, but also in that same thought, she had to keep Bellwether on a straight path as well. Her history and intelligence is dangerous in the worst possible way. She concocted the serum used to make mammals go savage, she could, and more easily, make a bomb or something much worse. She had to try everything for her. Show her that good things can still come her way, she needed hope. Judy wasn't going to sleep, and she needed help dealing with the emotions that made her feel shaken. She changed into a plain outfit and decided to walk the distance to Nick's place. It would give her plenty of time to think.

At the top of the stairs over in Nick's apartment building, she encountered Finnick. The little fox was angry as all get-out and nearly shoved Judy aside, muttering angry words about Nick. His door opened and he poked his head out to yell.

"Don't be like that, buddy! I'll get another copy tomorrow, I promise!" He saw Judy and was surprised to see her, stepping out of the door. "Hey, carrots." He said rather flatly despite his surprise.

"Hey, Nick. Having relationship issues?" Judy replied jokingly. The fox scoffed.

"Har har. No, he's upset because there's a scratch on the Big Fat Elephant Wedding DVD. It doesn't play anymore, not that I miss it, he watches that movie, every… single... night… at least once." Judy raised an eyebrow and could see a twitch of insanity reflect in his face. He invited her inside and the door closed behind her. When they were alone, Judy plonked her forehead against the fox's chest and sniffed her tears back. He soothingly smoothed her droopy ears and held her head close. Judy lifted her arms and hugged him back, pressing her whole body against her fox with mixed up feelings. "Ok, what's wrong with my emotional little bunny?" He asked.

"I got a letter from Bellwether. I have to help her." Nick didn't believe his ears.

"What? Why in the world would you do that? She messed with a lot of innocent mammal's lives, including ours." Judy dried her eyes.

"She's been through so much and she went a little crazy. It would've been possible for her to fix her life, but she was overcome by love and hope, and she was betrayed and couldn't handle it." Nick didn't follow, rubbing his forehead.

"I don't get it, she did some terrible things, mammals got hurt, if you ask me, she deserves what she got." Judy pushed off from him and was upset.

"SHE wrote Lionheart's speech, SHE said that anyone can be anything!" She blurted out. Nick was beginning to see the connection as Judy went on. "She changed everything for the better. She made it possible for me to be a cop, for you to be more than a fox. We would've never met… If… I just farmed carrots… like rabbits are supposed to…" Nick was moved, understanding everything with clarity. He knew Bellwether did a lot for city hall, he read the newspapers, but also secretly knew Lionheart was kind of an idiot.

"Why are the smart ones always crazy?" He muttered to himself.

"I have to help her." Judy said defiantly.

"Ok, I understand. If it means that much to you, I'll go along with it. I hope you know what you're doing, carrots." Nick agreed, approaching his bunny and holding her tightly to his chest. "I think you'll be pleased to know that a certain Silvia Fawkes owes me a legal favor." Judy pressed her muzzle into his shirt to let out a deep muffled groan.

"Uuhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

"I know, believe me I know, but she can help us help Bellwether. She's too good at what she does." Judy said nothing and just breathed in the fox's shirt for a sigh. "Would you like to stay here tonight?" He asked, and with a tighter press on his shirt, she wiggled it up and down with a nod.

Bellwether struggled to mop the dirty tile floor. The mop was too large for her to hold onto confidently, and water splashed around more often that it was used to clean. The clamoring of doors and locks came and went as she quietly washed the long hall that connected the common areas of the prison. All of her days were mind-numbingly tedious and she had a lot of time to think. Remorse was the heaviest thought, and she thought every day about what she had gained, and unfortunately, lost. Her life ruined early by others, and her life ruined now by her own doing. She was a fool, of course she would've gotten caught, crime never paid, not when the best of Zootopia's police had been on the case. She helped to instate the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, and that played its role in getting the right person to figure out her plan. The world was a better place now, and she didn't belong in it anymore. She was content enough with her days, but she was far from happy, there was no joy for her in prison. She felt the sentence was appropriate for the spite in her heart and the damage she had caused.

The mop handle flew out of her grip when a much larger inmate snatched it from her.

"Hey, smellwether!" The tall leopard woman antagonized. Bellwether didn't respond, she adjusted her glasses and didn't pose any threat to her. "Do you know why I'm in here?" The leopard growled at her. Bellwether was made terrified, feared for her life even when the leopard leaned into with her teeth bared. She knew the reason wasn't good, and the reason had something to do with what she had done. "I was protesting in Savanna Central and some ignorant pig pushed me! The cops arrested ME because I'm a predator! I got five years for no reason!" She threw the mop aside and picked her up by the back of her orange prison outfit. The leopard tried to dunk her head into the dirty mop bucket aggressively. Bellwether latched her paws to the sides and pushed with all of her might to prevent just that.

"No! Stop! No, please, I'm sorry!" She cried out. She wasn't strong enough, and an arm dipped into the water.

"Stop right there inmate!" A guard called and the leopard ceased her action. Bellwether lifted herself out, and figured partially wet was better than all wet. The leopard walked away and the guard came near. "Bellwether, you have a visitor."

"If he's a lion, I don't want to talk to him." The guard shook his head.

"Not this time, she's a rabbit cop if you could believe such a thing." She lit up with surprise. She didn't know Judy would ever visit her.

She eagerly went to the visitation center and saw Judy waiting at a little table. Bellwether joyously crossed the room and hugged Judy as she stood, not realizing how wet she was with dirty mop water. They held as long as they could before a guard told them to break it up. They sat down and Bellwether was ecstatic.

"Oh, Judy, thank you so much for visiting!"

"Why are you all wet?" She asked, inspecting her dampened and possibly now smelly police uniform. Bellwether giggled charmingly.

"Oh I'm sorry, sometimes when I mop the floors, I end up becoming the mop. Anyway, how have you been? What's it like out there?" Judy grinned and got right to it.

"I'm fine, everything's fine. I read your letter." It's been awhile since Bellwether wrote it, she almost forgot she had. "And I want to help you." Bellwether lost her joy and had to be straight with her.

"You and I both know I'm never getting out of here." She said with looming despair. "There are a lot of predators in here that were imprisoned during the protests and riots I caused. Rumors have been going around that when my release date comes, someone will… you know… make sure I never leave..." She didn't need to say much more. Judy could fill it in that enough animosity was focused on her for someone to make an attempt at her life. She was in danger and it made Judy want to help her even more.

"I've started building a case. I have a connection with the best lawyer in Zootopia and I will try to get you out of here on probation or house arrest or something." Bellwether sunk into the table. She adjusted her glasses and looked sundered.

"I don't deserve it…" She quietly squeaked out. Judy leaned forward and held both her paws tightly, showing trust between them, and a bond had been formed. She looked into her large sheep eyes and made her a promise.

"You are getting a second chance."


	5. Chapter 5: My Light

Chapter 5: My Light

Gazelle sat at the table in her parent's home. The warm hues of the clay bricks and chipped plaster had always comforted her. She looked down at the bowl of oatmeal she often ate for breakfast and found joy in the familiar recipe, the familiar bowl, and even the familiar spoon. She looked out the window from her seat, and the warm breeze came in through the open window. Laundry dried on long strings between the homes in the cramped sandy alleyway, one of many in her poverty-stricken homeland. All she heard was the wind and the flapping of sheets and shirts, and the seldom cheering of a child with the patting of a kickball.

"Gazelle!" A voice came from behind her. She was startled, but glad to hear her mother's voice. "Gazelle, eat your breakfast, it's going to get cold."

"Good morning, Mamá" she spoke. She sat in her chair and took the spoon, enjoying her breakfast that was made just for her with love and care. Her mother sat down at the table across from her. "And if you don't hurry, you'll be late for school." Gazelle was stopped by some juxtaposition. She looked around the room, and nothing seemed disturbed. The picture of her family above the hearth was a dusted and faded memory. She fixated on it and looked at her young parents in the photo, she was young at the time. Something still wasn't right and it pinged on her senses as the moment played on.

"Mamá, is everything alright?" Gazelle asked hesitantly. Her mother looked across the table and gestured for her to calm down and answered.

"Everything is fine! You have a busy day ahead of you." She sipped her rich coffee and reached down for Gazelle's school bag, passing it to her. The orange backpack was, again, familiar with the patches and the written signatures of all of her friends. Gazelle was happy to see it and she felt a strong deja vu of her days in the schoolyard with her friends.

"Ok..." She said and took a final big bite of the tender oatmeal, stood up tall, and looped the bag over her shoulders. Her mother kissed one cheek then the other and opened the door.

"Off you go now or you'll be late." She told her. Gazelle went through the door and stood in the vacant sandy alleyway, feeling the uneven brick street on her hooves. She turned around and waved to her mother. "I love you, Gazelle! I love you so much!" Her mother called. "And find a new distraction!" The strange phrase pinged across Gazelle's mind like a beam of light. She opened her mouth to reply and all that came from her was a squeak. She felt her neck and found the scar from the accident, and felt her longer uncut hair blowing in the gentle breeze. She had grown taller and was older in an instant as she looked to her mom waving back at her from the doorway of her childhood home. "I'll see you after school!" Her mom called out, and right as she realized it, she woke up from the dream.

The abrasive buzzing of Clawhauser's alarm clock interrupted both of their slumbers. Gazelle threw her entire self upright, breathing heavily from the dream she experienced. Her mind spun, swearing it was real, at least it felt real. She saw her mother as she had remembered her, and she missed her dearly, more than ever and something felt terribly wrong. Gazelle couldn't hold her emotions, and quietly cried into her paws as Clawhauser finished a yawn and a stretch, then he noticed his despairing lover weep in the subtle glow of the morning sun.

"Gazelle? What's wrong, darling?" Of course, she couldn't answer, but instead she threw her arms around her cheetah and nuzzled his cheek, drying her tears on his fur. With a squeak, she wanted to say something but was always stopped, she would have to wait to tell him. "Gazelle, it was just a nightmare. Here," He held his paw out for her. She gripped his thumb with one paw, and another finger with her other paw. She held on and felt at his pads and the fur of his large paws until it convinced her that she was awake. "You're not drowning or burning. THIS is real." He reassured her with the simple ritual. She shook her head and he didn't understand her. The dream was far from a nightmare but was instead a dream so beautiful that the most frightening part was waking up from it, feeling it disappear from her mind, and fall apart into the obscure memory where dreams go. She hardly remembered her mother's face, could barely keep a hold on her voice that told her everything was fine. 'Find a new distraction' was still very clear in her mind. She wiped the tears and sleep from her eyes and nodded to Clawhauser, signaling she was ok. He smiled a loving, caring smile to her, and ran a claw through her messy curly hair before resting it on her cheek. "I love you so much." He told her, and kissed her lips with tender compassion. "I wish I could stay home today, I really do, but the department gets disorganized when I'm not around." She nodded, again understanding his duty. He turned and threw his legs over the edge of the bed, letting Gazelle throw her arms around his neck and shoulders. She really wanted him to stay, not to leave her be alone after the dream and some odd sense of foreboding. "I really have to go to work, darling." He told her. She held tight even as he rose out of the bed, and she clung to him with her arms around him as he stood. He began to walk away with the lightly framed girl on his back, dragging the sheets and bed covers away with them. She didn't mind the disarray, it would give her another thing to do among her subtle days. She let go of her cheetah and curled into the mound of covers on the floor, wanting to go back to sleep, go back to her mother, and hear both her own and her mother's voice. Clawhauser changed into his uniform, clean, pressed, and fitting as it always had. He really appreciated that she kept his laundry folded and his former bachelor apartment in a little more order. Without so many words, it was how she could express her love and gratitude for him, and not once would she ever complain. Clawhauser fumbled with the tie and sighed. "Could you?" He asked, bending down to the bundle of the sleepy Gazelle. She knotted his tie in a Windsor knot, doing it upside-down from her lounging perspective. She grabbed his paw as he stood and pulled herself up out of the bedding and yawned. Clawhauser checked himself in the mirror for a brief moment, admiring more the Gazelle in her nightgown at his side than himself. He smiled at her and patted her paw on his shoulder as she towered next to him.

They both left for the kitchen for breakfast, Clawhauser skipping it to favor the taste of his favorite donuts from Bridgette's Breads. A banana-nut muffin from a case had Gazelle's name on it, and she gladly bit into it. Clawhauser stopped to ask. "When was the last time you talked to your parents?" It was a strangely timed question, and she stopped munching the muffin to think. She wanted to say she had seen her mother a few moments ago, she wanted to tell him what she remembered of her vivid dream, but alas, she only shrugged and said nothing. Perhaps he already knew, their love bonded them with a connection unique to them, so it could have been possible. At least, he could have known in his subconscious. "Ok darling, I gotta go protect and serve." He said almost sarcastically. She sat her muffin down and bent to give him one last loving kiss. "I love you too." He said as if he had heard her say the words. He grabbed his keys from the countertop with a and left with a blown kiss from his paw.

The door shut and the apartment was quiet with Gazelle standing alone. She sighed once and looked to the window as the sun poured its luminance into the warm living room. Her morning routine was once a warm-up of scales and voice practices. Not so much anymore, though. The serenity of this new chapter opened her eyes and ears as much as her heart. She listened to the building and the many mammals starting their days. The small patting of otter feet in the halls, the tired wolf returning from the late night shift, and the sometimes cheerful greeting of neighbors to one another. It was a long forgotten part of the real world, and she had been missing those finer nuances when her head was deep into the game of music and performance. Gazelle could finally stop and smell the roses Clawhauser had given her, and if she wanted, she could write a song about it. She wouldn't. This gift was hers alone and she cherished it. Small moments of life too beautiful to be captured, and it brought such love to her heart. Despite the joyful observations, it was still just another morning. She yawned and went back to bed, lugging the covers back onto the mattress in no particular order. She snuggled the bundle, feeling it was a poor substitute for her Clawhauser. If only he had stayed. Gazelle's days were half filled with sleep and the remainder with household duties. Sometimes filled with idle television watching to stave off the depression and melancholy until Clawhauser came home and provided her with the company. She rested her eyes and began to doze off easily. Her mind wandered further from her thoughts of her mother and more about her cheetah. For a moment of time, she was asleep and dreams began to have a hazy presence in her mind again. She felt the calm soft fur of his cheek, and the scent of him on the tip of her nose, then the universe went dark, and a great bruising came to her face and head. She hurt and writhed in fear, trying to escape the feeling. She woke up from this brief nightmare when her phone rang. The chime of the marimba tune played and she scrambled to get to it. It didn't even occur to her until she had it in her paw that she couldn't answer a phone call, only text messages. She saw the nameless caller and she didn't recognize the number. She hoped it wasn't Clawhauser trying to get a hold of her for a reason that was too important for texting. She still didn't recognize the number as her phone chimed and buzzed, and before she could answer anyway, it stopped. Whatever it was, it was gone and she set her phone back down, dismissed it, and rolled over to get more sleep. She was beginning to calm down from her frantic thoughts and close her eyes when her phone chimed just once more. She looked at it and read that a voicemail had been recorded. She flipped over and let the message play.

"Mi luz, it is papá. I was hoping to talk to you, it's been too long of a time. I have a new home now in Zootopia, my address is 5288 Oasis Drive. I want to see you as soon as you have a chance, come by anytime. Adiós, Mi luz." With a small click, the message was over and delivered. She now had the energy to start her day, and was eager to speak, or lack thereof, with her parents. They were completely unaware of her accident and she was sure that her fall from stardom had them very worried. Her face was no longer on Preyda billboards or T-Shirts, and she had all but disappeared if it hadn't been for her one biggest fan.

Clawhauser pulled up and parked his car in the parking lot of Bridgette's Breads. He knew he had a moment to grab a box of donuts before his shift started, as well as a much-needed coffee. Entering the small bakery, he greeted Pan with a wave. There wasn't a line, and he could be out with his donuts in no time.

"Top o'the mornin' to ya, Benny!" Pan called out as he started a box of the sweet round delights for him. "Anything other than the usual?" He asked.

"Not today, Pan." Pan plucked his favorite assortment from the displays and neatly stacked them in the to-go box. He held the box out for him to take but Clawhauser was shoved by someone behind him. A hippo had pushed by him to grab an apple from the basket resting on the display case. Clawhauser looked at the taller mammal with disdain as he crunched the apple in his mouth all in one bite. Its juices squirted and splashed in Clawhauser's face and on his uniform.

"Hey," he yelled. "That's rude!" The hippo chuckled and grabbed another apple, pushing Clawhauser well out of the way.

"Yeah, well, what are you going to do about it?" Clawhauser was a bit confused by his actions and was peeved when he started walking away.

"You need to pay for those!"

"You pay for them, bub." He replied with confidence. Pan tapped on Clawhauser's shoulder and got his attention for a second.

"Benny, that's Philip Hittomas, he's a heavyweight boxer! Just leave 'em be, they're just apples." Clawhauser was determined to right the wrong as he approached the heavyweight with vigilance.

"Sir! Please pay your bill!" He commanded. Philip turned and pushed Clawhauser down with one strong arm. He hit the tile floor with a bodily thump, quickly trying to catch his balance and get up on his feet. "Are you serious?" Clawhauser wasn't sure and had to vocalize it. "Can't you see I'm an officer of the law!?" Philip laughed hysterically like he had heard the best joke.

"Clearly!" He blurted out and traced Clawhauser's large shape with his fingers. "How could I not?" He chuckled at the insult and Clawhauser was angered.

"Pay the mammal or be arrested for theft!" He warned.

"Don't have to, it's covered by the bakery's loss prevention budget." The hippo was toying with him. Clawhauser pulled his handcuffs from his utility belt.

"Turn around, paws behind your back!" He demanded. Philip didn't comply, but instead, he started pushing the tables and chairs back in a ruckus to clear space for the coming fight. Pan nervously yelled at him, pulling on his gray head fur in shock.

"If ya gon' fight, there's a perfectly fine parkin' lot outside!" His words were ignored and more space was cleared. The patrons of the bakery had fled and watched from the windows, eager to see from a safe distance. Philip paced in a circle around the makeshift arena and stretched his shoulders and neck out in a rotating fashion.

"Just like the ring, eh? I haven't had a good fight in a few weeks." Clawhauser was shaking in his defensive stance as the large hippo put his dukes up and readied for the match. The cheetah hadn't been in any real field work before and was far from physically conditioned, he was not ready for this fight. He grabbed his radio and called immediately.

"This is Clawhauser requesting backup at Bridgette's Breads!" The hippo chuckled again as he shuffled his feet on the tile.

"It'll take a minute for anyone to arrive. That should be all the time I need." Clawhauser thought fast and pulled his pepper spray, but as he held it up, the hippo was much faster than he looked and knocked the spray out of his paw, sending it flying into the disorderly mass of flipped tables and chairs. He had never been issued a stunner and he was quickly out of options. He had no choice but to fight paw to paw until backup arrived. He put his fists up and began circling with the hippo. He kept his distance but his opponent was closing in. He had been maneuvered into the corner between the register and the display case full of delights, desperately pinned and forced. Clawhauser jabbed at his face, he hardly connected with the tough bulbous hide as the hippo dodged around. Clawhauser's guard had faltered and left him exposed, and seeing the opportunity, Philip rammed his fist into his gut, stunning him for a moment. Clawhauser took a chance to swing up at the hippo's chin and it was proficiently blocked. Clawhauser didn't know where it had come from, but it felt like a bus smashed into his left cheek, sending stars and sparkles across his vision. Adrenaline kept him sharp enough, and he rushed at the hippo, locking arms with him, but getting shrugged off and thrown into the countertop near the register again. He was stuck against the corner and as he turned, another force collided with his nose square-on. Immediately his face felt compressed, and couldn't breathe through his nose. The cheetah was outmatched and was sent into a spin as another hit landed powerfully on his left brow. Clawhauser groaned and crumbled to the floor as there was a welcoming jingle from the door. Judy was the first on the scene.

"Clawhauser!" She screamed out as she saw the cheetah struggle to get up, and yelled into her radio. "Officer Clawhauser is down! Send medical help!" She reached for her stunner and didn't have one either, and certainly, she wished she had. She pulled her own dispenser of pepper spray and approached Philip with speed and agility. Judy made the same mistake and misjudged the hippo's reflexes. He took a low swipe at the little bunny, Judy barely dodging and getting clipped by the hippo's trained fist. She dropped the spray and failed to get a hold of it before it was kicked it out of sight.

It was paw to paw again with a new opponent. Round two was off to a better start, Judy being able to dodge the hippo's jabs and swings. In a brief opportunity, she kicked Philip in his big snout as hard as she could, and as she recoiled, confident in her strike, he hardly flinched. He was too tough so Judy tried for a new angle. She slid beneath his legs and threw herself up on his backside, then latched on for dear life as he spun around trying to shake her off. She launched herself upward in a leap high above his head, then came down on his face with two rabbit feet poised to deal damage. She clocked him good, sending him to kneel to the floor in a daze. Judy rolled off but before she was out of reach, Philip had grabbed her ankle, stopping her mid-roll and lifting her upside-down. She struggled and flailed in her compromised position, and with a flick of his wrist, she was airborne for a moment. His right fist collided with her chest with meteorite force, sending her flying, tumbling, then sliding across the tile floor of the bakery. Philip threw his arms up, he had won both rounds nearly untouched.

"Hahaha! I am still the undefeated heavyweight champ-" His voice was shocked out of him, and his body convulsed with the surge of electricity flowing from Nick's stunner. The hippo fell, almost crushing the stealthy fox. Fangmeyer was also on the scene, he cuffed the fight-thirsty champion while he was incapacitated. The paramedics arrived outside with a siren and flashing lights, and rushed inside to assess the needs of the injured. Judy was stunned but still managed to get to her feet well enough. Nick approached her as she held her stomach as she tried to regain her lost breath.

"Judy! Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Nick called out, dropping to his knees and sliding to her side, concerned for the bunny's health.

"Ack... I'm… Fine, Nick. Clawhauser…" She looked to the cheetah sitting up against the counter as the paramedics checked him over and dressed his split brow and cheek. Nick answered her with concern.

"He's in good care. Carrots, what happened?" She stood up and was struggling with her vest.

"There was a fight… Oh, darn it! He cracked my vest! Help me get this off." She struggled to unlatch it in its damaged state, and Nick helped her slip out, feeling just how dense the vest actually was. He nearly dropped it as he wasn't aware of its weight.

"Carrots, this weighs a ton! How can you wear this all the time?" Judy detached her badge from the vest and set it securely on her utility belt. She felt odd on her feet and groaned.

"Uuuugh… It'll take at least a week to get a new one, and now I have to be bottom-heavy!" It never occurred to Nick how much of a throwing knife she was, balanced and heavy in all the right places.

"Gee carrots, I don't mind the heavy bottom." She cocked her arm back to punch him. He held the cracked vest between his face and her for protection before she lowered her paw.

"Just for that, you can carry the vest back to ZPD." Nick sighed as she turned her back. Chief Bogo had arrived to assess the situation, walking stoically onto the scene. Philip Hittomas was detained by Fangmeyer and was locked up in the backseat of his police cruiser, ready to be taken downtown and processed for his crime and assaulting an officer. The charges were racking up. Bogo walked up to the brave cheetah as the paramedic helped him to his feet. It hurt the chief's heart to see the kindness beat out of him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Clawhauser hung his head to the floor in shame.

"I'm sorry chief, I couldn't handle him." He said quietly through the aching pain, busted cheek, and brow that sported little white bandages across where his face was split. Bogo knew he shouldn't have had to fight, and knew he did his best under the circumstances.

"Clawhauser, we got him. You did a good job keeping him from getting away." It was indeed a victory, and overall they had won the war, but he was too hurt from the battle to feel good about it. He fell silent, Chief Bogo silent as well for a moment, then he quietly advised. "When was the last time you took a vacation? Take the week off to recover. You've certainly earned it." Clawhauser met Bogo's eyes with gratitude and was glad to know that he wouldn't be seen this way at work.

"Thanks, chief. Just one week." He confirmed. Bogo gave him a subtle nod. Pan had come up to him, knowing he'd have to give a statement of the event, but he also had in his paws Clawhauser's box of donuts. He gave them to him with a solemn smile.

"Here, Benny, these are on the house."

Gazelle was up and dressed, ready to visit her parents at their new residence. She was nervous, her papá didn't know what had happened and how he was going to take the news of her accident, her mother would be hysterical that she had been hurt. She made herself as presentable as she could, brushing her hair nicely and wearing one of her finer outfits. With a sigh, she looked over the apartment once again, and took the keys of her own car from the countertop. With a toss of the strap of her purse, she unlocked the door and opened it. She was startled when she saw Clawhauser standing there holding his key to where the doorknob had been. She peered wide-eyed at him and was horrified by his bruised and beaten features. She gasped and dropped her purse. His gentle and soft face had been marred, and it hurt her just as much to see him this way. He stood in the hallway frozen with sadness, and pain in his eyes.

"I should've stayed home..." he said. In a few heartbeats more, he broke down and sobbed. His defeat was more than physical, failure had also set its gilded claws on his shoulders, and guilt hung on his posture. Gazelle nearly threw herself into him, hugging him tightly, lovingly, wanting to take his pain away and restore him to the jolly mammal from before. His tears rained onto her shirt, and he didn't need to describe what had happened, she already knew. She brought him in and sat him on the couch, then immediately made a bag of ice for him to soothe his aching head. He set it to his face with relief. "The chief gave me the week off." He told her. She sat at his side on his couch, and placed a paw on his knee to say she would take care of him for the whole week. In a really twisted way, her wish had come true, he was home with her now. Clawhauser noticed she was dressed to go out, and her purse was still lying on the floor by the door. "Were you going somewhere?" He asked. She nodded and pulled her phone from her pocket to play her papá's message. Clawhauser listened and commented. "Well, that answers my question. Can we go later? I look like I just lost a fight... because I did." She set her purse down on the floor by her feet and nodded an ok to him. "Wow… couldn't have picked a worse time to meet your parents. They might think YOU did this to me." He joked. She laughed with a squeak and patted his shoulder. He winced in pain and she was immediately sorry she had done that. "Yeah, I'm still a little tender." He remarked. With a caring smile of apology, she kissed his right cheek carefully.

Early evening came as Clawhauser and Gazelle arrived at 5288 Oasis Drive. Clawhauser was looking and feeling better from his morning rumble with the heavyweight champion. His face was no longer as swollen and he could breathe through his nose again. All thanks to Gazelle's care, and of course, medicine. They both were anxious but for different reasons. Clawhauser was afraid her father was old school and didn't approve of their difference in species. Gazelle was worried about her father being angry with her for a number of reasons, like not calling, or disappearing from the media. Her mother was an unknown, she could go either direction with her own sentiments.

They walked up to the stoop and into the common area for the apartments. 5288 was near and was found shortly. They stood still for a brief moment and both took a deep breaths. She knocked a few times and after a couple seconds of waiting, the door opened. Her father stood just as tall as she was, but his hair was dark, short, curly and salt-and-peppered with age. A thin wiry mustache sat on his lip, accompanied by a long curly goatee on his chin. His eyes were earthen like hers, and Clawhauser gathered that her blonde hair must have belonged to her mother.

"Mi luz!" He called out as he came forward for a big hug. He had missed her so much, and she missed him more. He kissed both of her cheeks once and she returned the gesture. "Oh, mi luz, you look so different! Please, come in, come in." He invited them both inside, his accent thick from speaking a foreign language from a far away land. His small apartment was filled with boxes yet to be unpacked. He had the essentials though, which included a table, four chairs, a small bed in the corner, and a microwave on another stack of more boxes. Folded up against the wall was a painter's easel, well used and adorned with the magic of a lifetime of creation. Next to it was an opened box of tubes of paint, brushes, pallets, and all sorts of tools. Clawhauser saw now that creativity was in Gazelle's blood, and the gift was passed on to her respectively, at least it had been. She still hasn't said a word. Her father turned to Clawhauser to comment on his presence. "You must be her bodyguard, please come in as well, no need to wait outside." Clawhauser shrugged and introduced himself.

"I'm Benjamin Clawhauser, it's a pleasure to met you, Mr…?" He leaned into Gazelle and queried. "What is your last name anyway?" She didn't move or say a word, and luckily her father introduced himself.

"Please, call me Melhem." He smiled. Clawhauser shook his paw as Melhem insisted that they sit. Gazelle was nervous and Clawhauser held her paw, providing her with the comfort and strength to be with her father. The gesture was idle and common to them, but Melhem took notice. "Oh, you're not a bodyguard." He realized. Clawhauser and Gazelle froze, both swallowing hard and waiting for either his approval or disapproval. Melhem looked at the two of them and at their conjoined paws. "You two are… in love!" He burst out in rapturous joy. Clawhauser about had a heart attack. "This is so beautiful, just look at the two of you! So happy!" It was an exhausted relief from the tension, and yes, they were very happy. "I beg your pardon, Benjamin, I thought you were… because you're…" He made a gesture with his paw about his face.

"Oh, this?" Clawhauser replied. "I'm a police officer at precinct one. There was a fight and we caught the guy." He didn't want to describe it any further knowing that it wasn't he who apprehended the crook, he was just a punching bag until a real cop showed up. Melhem chuckled.

"Oh a strong one too," he smirked to Gazelle. "I bet he really beat the mierda out of the bad guy, yes?" Clawhauser chuckled and just nodded, feeling like he was taking credit he knew wasn't his. "This is so exciting! Gazelle, please tell me how you two met!" There was a silence. Tense and gripping anxiety filled her and she was petrified. Her jaw went a little slack, and even if she had the words, she couldn't begin to explain. Clawhauser sighed and courageously took the point.

"Mr. Melhem, it's a long story." He started. Gazelle flipped her hair with a finger and a sad smile gently curled on her lips. She pointed to the heart shaped scar at the base of her neck and strained out a sorrowful squeak. She hung her head as Melhem pieced it together. Clawhauser continued explaining. "There was an accident… she lost her voice." Melhem gasped and was taken aback by the tragic news. He leaned forward and asked.

"You don't say? When will it come back?" Gazelle sniffed a tear back and shook her head until Clawhauser had to tell him.

"Melhem... this is permanent… and she lost her whole career." Gazelle hid her face in shame. "She lost everything, and when I found her, she had been living out of her car. She's safe now living at my place." Melhem was so grateful he stood up and shook Clawhauser's paw vigorously with appreciation.

"Oh thank you! Thank you thank you thank you! You saved my daughter, you are a great hero." Clawhauser never thought of it that way before, and perhaps he was right, but he was just doing what felt right in his heart. Gazelle reached into her purse and pulled out a small notepad and a pen. She wrote something down and showed her father the message that read,

"Where's mamá?" Melhem's mood switched from grateful to grieving in an instant. He sat back down and sighed. A silence came over him, and his eyes told everything. Gazelle already knew and she shook her head, mouthing the word 'no' over and over until she collapsed onto the table and sobbed in more sorrow. Melhem held her head in his paws and let her cry for her mamá. Clawhauser could guess well enough who had been lost, and he hugged into her the best he could. Melhem cleared his throat of his own heartache welling up and began to explain.

"Our homeland is so torn apart by conflict and unrest, violence runs rampant in the streets. Your mother and I were caught in a war between gangs… We were separated… She was hurt too badly… I had to sell everything and come here to be with you. I couldn't bear to be so far from you anymore, mi luz…" He had worried for Gazelle, and Clawhauser now understood the gravity of his deed, his love for her really did save her and kept her strong. He had no clue about her home, then again, she hadn't told him about it yet, and now he knew why. Clawhauser was determined and filled to the brim with compassion as he spoke directly to her father.

"I cherish your daughter, and I will take care of her no matter what happens." Melhem nodded like he knew he would say that. He stood and turned to open a nearby box. He grabbed from it a faded photo and gave it to Clawhauser. It showed her small family, Gazelle was so young and childlike with a smile that looked like laughter, and her parents stood to either side smiling with love and pride. Gazelle looked over Clawhauser's shoulder to recognize the image from her dream. He gave the picture to her knowing she would want it. She held it to herself tightly and cried more. She couldn't contain how much she missed her mamá. She hugged the photo to herself, and didn't want to let go.

The evening played on. Melhem told Clawhauser of Gazelle's childhood and he learned a great amount. She's always been a bit of a freedom fighter and a loud mouth, but above all else, she was a strong independent girl that turned into a strong independent woman. She danced and sang from such a young age, and it was a whole part of her that had been lost. They had to convince Melhem they couldn't fight the record company over the accident and Clawhauser was doing his best to diffuse her papá's anger. It angered him too that such a tragedy had befallen upon someone he loved so much. If he had thought of it during that fight, he surely would've won with passion fueling a burning fist. Hindsight didn't help him now, and his face was feeling like it could use more ice. Gazelles tears long dried, she fell into the morose stages of grief. Clawhauser knew she had only remedial things to do during the day, and he wasn't the only one who thought she could use a hobby. Before they said their goodbyes for the evening, Gazelle jotted something on her notepad and showed it to her papá. His face lit up as he hugged her.

"Oh mi luz, I've been waiting my whole life for you to ask me that! Is it not true that a creative heart never stops beating? Come by again later this week when I'm settled in, ok? It would be a nice distraction from everything." She gave him a long loving look and hugged him one last time for the evening. "Mi luz, voice or no, I'm so proud of you, and I love you so much. I only want you to have a happy life." She nodded her head to say she loved him too. After a kiss on each cheek, he let her go to return home with her cheetah. Once they had left the building into the cool night air and dull street lights, Clawhauser had given into his curiosity.

"What did you ask him?" She showed him the notepad and he read her last message.

"Teach me to paint?" It said. He was happy for her too, and certainly would support her new endeavor as much as he could. Clawhauser could appreciate art, he's read enough comic books to have a taste for it. He opened the car door for her and let her get in before he did. It was a long enough drive home and he had plenty on his mind to talk about. He started his car and drove to the main highway that leads around the district to his apartment closer downtown.

He watched Gazelle for brief moments as the street lights strobed by. She had recoiled in on herself, huddled in the car seat and looked like she was lost in thought, or lost in the memories. Clawhauser sighed and broke the silence. "Gazelle, I'm so sorry about your mama. I wish I had the opportunity to meet her, I really do. It's amazing that your dad is so proud of you. I'm envious, actually. I… I never got the chance to make my dad proud." This got her attention, and she looked at him with a worried curiosity. He continued after a sigh. "He died when I was young, he was a police officer and had a bad night. I've never told anyone this, but I never actually wanted to be a cop, I wanted to be a chef, maybe make donuts instead of, ya know, eating them all the time. My dad didn't like that idea very much but my mama did. I was such a mama's boy and my dad had been really hard on me. I never connected with him until he was gone, and I just wanted to make him proud. After high school, I worked at a Bug Burga to save up for culinary school. Things didn't go according to plan though. When you got arrested during the Tame Collar protests, I was the one that bailed you out. Before you blame yourself, know that it was worth every penny. Please, do you trust me on that?" He asked, and she nodded kinda blaming herself anyway, she never knew. "Anyway, chief Bogo got me into the department without needing to go to the police academy. I did paperwork, files, records, dispatch, office work like that. I don't even know why I have a uniform, I just sit on my big butt all day. I never thought about culinary school ever since, I stayed at ZPD hoping one day I could make him proud..." He stopped for a moment to see Gazelle looking at him with worry and care. He sighed and confessed the thing that has been on his mind all day. "I didn't win the fight this morning. If Judy hadn't arrived as quickly as she did, the guy would've escaped. Judy was amazing, she held her own against a huge opponent, and made it possible to make an arrest… I was on the floor for most of it… I'm not a hero, I… would have embarrassed my father if he was around to see it…" Gazelle placed a paw on his knee and had an expression of love for him on her beautiful face. "You have the opportunity to make your father proud, so go for it. He loves you so much." He was quiet for the rest of the drive. It wasn't far for them to go before they were home.

Gazelle woke up from her sleep, seeing on the clock that it was almost two o'clock at night and Clawhauser wasn't next to her in the bed. A soft glow came through the cracked door from the living room and she suspected that he was still awake. She pulled the covers back and cautiously got up to see. She saw him sitting on the couch, and at his feet was a metal case laid open. He sensed her presence and acknowledged her.

"Hey, darling." He said calmly. She came out and saw what he had in his paws. The metallic object was frightening to her at first but she dared to move closer to get a better view. It was a stunner of some kind but shaped to fit a large paw and designed to be pointed with accuracy. It looked heavy with its dark solid metal components, and its yellow stripes were more of a warning than a decoration. At the front of it, between the two prongs commonly seen on most stunners, was a barrel. Clawhauser described it for her. "This is a Songbird Pulse model G. It fires electrified gel rounds accurately up to 80 feet at 330 feet per second. It delivers a shock of 1,800 volts, and can semi-automatically shoot a 16 round clip. It weighs 72 ounces with a full clip and top-loaded rechargeable battery… I know everything about this stunner, it was my father's, I've had it for years and I've never fired it myself. He taught to clean it and keep it in excellent condition, though… sometimes it makes me feel closer to him just looking at it..." Gazelle observed the weapon resting atop Clawhauser's paws. He didn't hold it, just let it rest like it was a fragile thing. "A weapon like this is why its class was banned. It has a lot of power but also has its weaknesses. The world moved on to safer and more efficient stunners not long after he passed." Gazelle had every instinctual right to be afraid of such a dangerous thing, she could feel that this particular stunner had subdued a great many on its tour of duty. He set it down in its protective carrier and opened a compartment within the case. Inside was a spare battery, a wealth of clips and live rounds, as well as a number of practice slugs. He pulled the golden shield badge that had Chase J. Clawhauser engraved beneath it. He held this artifact firmly in his paws, presenting it like he was holding his father's soul. He showed it to Gazelle and she took it to examine it herself carefully. Clawhauser picked up one last thing from the case, a photo of the squad from before his time at ZPD. It shown Piberius Wilde, his father, a few he had long forgotten their names, and Bogo he now called chief. He had to chuckle a bit. "Wow look at how young chief Bogo looks, he was such a greenhorn. Dad always complained about him." He passed her the photo and took back the badge, returning it to its resting place in the stunner's case. The old faded photo reminded her of her own faded photo. Keeping such reminders made her feel better, it kept her connected and she would never forget her mamá's love and wisdom. Clawhauser put everything away and sat the case carefully at his feet. Gazelle sat closer knowing he was hurting just as much as she was, and it had been a long day. "I'm half the cop my dad was, and twice the cheetah." He patted on his large belly, making it jiggle and feeling useless as it shook. He sighed heavily and stood up from the couch and shuffled off. Gazelle held his paw until he pulled away, and she let go with worry. She followed him into the bedroom, without a word more she joined him, and went to sleep hugging his backside for both of their comfort.

Clawhauser had every intention of sleeping in, but Gazelle had devised a plan. Creeping slowly up to him with her phone extended in her paw, she woke him up with a loud ringing sound. He jerked out of his sleep and sat up in a frantic commotion. He rubbed his eyes and gained focus the best he could. Gazelle was standing at his bedside dressed in workout clothes and a sweatband. She grabbed him with a big grin and pulled him up and out of bed. He groaned in protest, not at all feeling any motivation to participate.

"C'mon, Gazelle! I haven't had a vacation in years! Aaawwwww…" She pulled him into the light and sun soaked living room where she had planned a workout for the cheetah. He had turned to the countertop near the kitchen to snag a donut for good measure, but upon opening the box, he found it had been emptied. She got in his face right away, shaking a finger across his eyes to tell him that donuts were off-limits. She went to the refrigerator and presented to him a smoothie. "Oh, I don't care for bug protein shakes. Those donuts were free, and free donuts are the best kind." He was sounding juvenile and Gazelle stood her ground. She was determined to whip him into working shape for his own good. She gave him the smoothie and he took a sip of it. "Not bad, but not good either…" He remarked. She gestured for him to come back to the living room, and she plugged her phone into his entertainment center's speakers. A lively rumba song started playing and he stood to wonder. "What's first? Jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups?" She took his left paw and placed it on the swell of her back and cupped the right paw out between them. He wasn't going to work out with her, he was going to dance with her, and she was going to teach him. He had long forgotten his dreams of dancing with Gazelle, the pop idol. Her tiger dance team always filled the position, and by comparison, he never would have stood a chance to be on the stage with her. This was entirely different and he now felt compelled. "Ok, I'll try." He told her. She began moving her hooves and he followed slowly, getting into the rhythm of the one, two, cha-cha-cha. She tried her best to explain the steps without words, relying on Clawhauser's ability to watch and pay close attention to what she was doing. It might have been better like this, this way was all motion and rhythm with no terms to confuse steps by name. It was pure and wholly theirs, and they were having fun. The few times he stepped on her hooves had hurt him more than it hurt her, and it was all the better to make him learn.

He was really getting into it after a dozen songs of instruction, and in no time, he had learned to understand his own sense of balance as well as hers. Song after song played, and the playlist on her phone had ended. They were both exhausted and Clawhauser sucked on his protein shake with a vengeance. She hugged him and passed him a message from her notepad. He read that they still have five days of vacation left to dance. He chuckled and gave her a kiss. She stepped into the kitchen to make him a healthy brunch. He had made her proud, and he so earned it.

The week went on, and their practice continued with diligence. Clawhauser became a virtuoso on his feet and was eager to dance with his Gazelle again on the last day of his vacation. He had been warming up when she came out of the bedroom with an entirely different kind of attire. She wore regular pants and a shirt, and her purse was on her shoulder, she was going out. Clawhauser had completely forgotten that she was revisiting her papá, and by now, he would be well set into his new home.

"Going to see your papa?" He asked anyway. She nodded and gave him a kiss goodbye and left. For the first time in his week off, he was alone. He learned so much from her, and there were moments where she had broken down with grief, and he could do nothing but hold her and dry her tears. She loved her mother, it was her who taught her to play the guitar and started her journey. Clawhauser was strong for her when she needed him, and she for him when he needed her. One's sorrow, no more than the others, they carried on paw-in-paw. He had learned to dance and gain a level of proficiency with himself and his movements, becoming a graceful mammal, and most of all, he made her proud, the amazing Gazelle was proud of him, how surreal is that? It took time and practice, and yet he still wished he could make his father proud, let his father teach him something again. He retrieved the stunner's case from the top of his closet and sat it on the bed. He opened it to see the piece lying dormant inside. He opened the compartment and looked at the photo again. With a new perspective, he noticed that he was built like his father, not much was different between himself and the cheetah in the photograph. The thought of his encounter with the hippo came to mind, thinking that his girth and stature wasn't built too far different than an average hippo, and his power lied in his skill. He held his father's stunner in his right paw in the proper fashion, gripping it by its stock and holding it straight out at arm's length. He aimed with an eye closed through its sight and held it as steadily as he could. He wanted to pull the trigger but he knew better than to dry fire it. It fit his paw like it was made for him and he felt the need to try and shoot it, feel it, understand it. He took the holster and added it to his utility belt where he knew his father had kept it, on his own right hip. Another thing his father had taught him was to always conceal his weapon, that helps to keep the element of surprise which can make all the difference in a tense situation. He remembered this lesson particularly because it started an argument between his father and his mother, she never liked the weapon being around their son, though Clawhauser felt safer with it in his father's possession. He loaded a clip of practice slugs and a battery, then slid it into its place on his hip. In its holster, it looked like any modern stunner, and he would keep it a secret for as long as he could. One thing was missing, a long coat. He opened his closet and hesitated as he picked out his father's long dark brown coat. The thick composite fiber fabric was designed to withstand and disperse the flow of electricity, keeping the wearer mostly safe from being stunned. He didn't know if it would stand up to the modern close-range stunners of popular choice, but couldn't help but think that some protection is better than none. He slipped it on to complete himself, and looked in the mirror. To his surprise, he looked like him, and even more, the coat fit like a glove. He made up his mind to wear it from then on. His face mostly healed from his fight, but rough enough to actually have the appearance of a gruff detective, perhaps someone cool. A few minor scars was certainly distinguishing, and if they had purpose, they would be worth it. He looked at the photo again and realized how slimming the coat was. He was his father, and it was about time he learned to shoot.

Clawhauser walked across an arching stone bridge over a dusty path in an abandoned part of Zootopia. This old district had neglected and forgotten warehouses strewn about and was unpopulated. The open scrappy plains of grass provided plenty of range to practice, and there was certainly no shortage of bottles, cans, cartons and other junk to shoot at. He found a wooden pallet lying on the ground near the front of the old warehouse, and once it was propped up, he placed a few bottles, cans, and a paper bag on top of it. The outer wall of the warehouse would take the misses so he could keep track of his progress. Using a distance tracker on his phone, he counted out the maximum eighty feet. He turned and it felt like his targets were a mile away. He held the weapon out and took careful aim for the first bottle, slowly squeezed the trigger, and let the stunner do its work. A sharp clap sounded loud enough to echo once, and the slug took flight. A bright orange splat appeared with an audible smack low on the slats of the pallet, far from his target. He adjusted his aim and fired again a bit more decisively. A splat appeared too high this time on the wall over the target. He knew that at this distance, any slight adjustment made several feet of difference. He didn't have the ammo to take wild shots and hope to hit something, or in any situation a criminal wouldn't stand still so he could take shots until one hit. He felt the daunting task of trying to catch up to the skill of his father upon him. The mighty Chase Clawhauser would've never missed a shot. He took one more shot, firing at the biggest target, the paper bag. It was off and he missed low. He holstered the weapon and hung his head.

"Oh dad, wish you were here to teach me your secret…" Like he had asked, the winds picked up on cue. He saw the dust blow by his feet and it got his attention. He watched the wind blow and swirled along the grass, and when it seemed to have disappeared, his eye still tracked it to the warehouse where his targets sat untouched. A moment before it happened, he anticipated the paper bag being swept up in the wind, and as it did just that, he drew the Songbird and fired a single round. A hole exploded through the center of it as the slug went through the frail paper and crashed through the fragile dirt stained window behind it. Clawhauser was surprised and joyful to hit the target and didn't yet understand why. He took notice that he had drawn with his left paw, and shot with both eyes open. As he smiled at his accomplishment, he heard a metal clang deep within the warehouse, followed by a rhythmic clicking. He listened for a moment and decided to investigate what exactly he had hit on the other side. He grabbed the carrying case from the ground and approached the door of the warehouse.

The wide bay doors were chained between two rusted handles. He shook the chains briskly, seeing that it hadn't been opened in well over a decade. He pulled a handle and the screws holding it on gave way, falling to the dirt below in a hollow thunk. The door was unlocked nonetheless, and he quietly opened the door enough to slip inside the building.

The space within was enormous, and the light flooding through the dirty windows poorly illuminated the clutter inside with a golden hue. His shot must had triggered something, and the world around him began to creak and moan into motion. He drew the stunner and was expecting a lot more than what was really there. The clockwork mechanisms unwound and another loud click was heard, lighting up the numerous old light bulbs dangling on strings from stall to stall. He looked forward down the path in the center and standing before him was a ticket booth. The sign flickered to life and displayed its title, Wild Times. Clawhauser cautiously walked through the small amusement park stuffed to either side of the warehouse. This attraction had long since been forgotten and its old wooden rides, games, and attractions had not tested time too well. The carrousel jerked and clicked as it cycled, and the Ferris wheel didn't even move, the gears below it fallen too far into decay that the teeth of the cogs rusted together. Beyond a closed cotton candy stand was a duck shoot. The simple game featured ducks and swans sliding left and right, hiding behind bushes for cover and out again. It was all too obvious. He stood far back and took aim, being sure to shoot left-pawed and with both eyes open. Tracking the motion of the slow moving ducks, he fired and nailed one right in the bullseye. He shot again at another, this time hitting it on its much smaller head. Clawhauser was confident, feeling the bond between eye, paw, and weapon. He looked around at what else he could shoot, and the world around him was all in motion.

He spotted the bell at the top of a High Striker. Normally someone would have to use a hammer to make the bell ring, but he shot at it from where he stood. He had missed. It was curious to him, how he was able to hit some things and not others. He managed to hit the ducks from at least fifty feet, and the bell was about the same distance. He took aim again, pointing his arm and stunner, and had realized it like a slap in the face. It was movement. His eye could follow anything in motion, and if the target was static, it was he who then must move. He stepped into a brisk walk sideways of his target and fired an orange slug, nailing the bolt in the middle of the bell with perfect accuracy. Feeling it at the biological level, his cheetah eyesight was the key. He grinned with energy and broke into a run, traveling down the midway swiftly. He painted the face of a horse on the carousel, and the middle of the star at the center of the of the broken Ferris wheel. He leaped over a knocked-over barrel, letting his father's brown coat flow in the air, and landed with a roll and put a bright orange splat in the exact middle of a target that was for a game of darts. He shuffled his feet and danced lightly, rolling again and firing a shot down the midway. After a delay of nearly half of a second, the slug hit the Wild Times mascot, some sly fox character, square between his smiling eyes. There was no target that he couldn't hit.

He was at the end of the warehouse. He clicked the safety and holstered the stunner, letting it rest on his hip and adjusted his coat over it. He caught his breath and saw that he had to have hit the mascot at no less than an impressive 120 feet. He walked back to the duck shoot where he had left the case on its countertop. Opening it, he got out the cleaning kit and began caring for the stunner, disarming its clip of remaining slugs and practically unused battery. He opened the weapon and oiled its internal parts and components with pride, respect, and dignity just as he had been taught. He had learned his father's secret talent, and his keen gifted eye for shooting had been passed down to him. He finished with the necessary maintenance, and pieced the Songbird back together, securely clicking each component back into its place. He refilled and stowed the empty clip of orange slugs, and prepped a clip of yellow live rounds and inserted it into the stunner. Making sure the safety for the trigger and battery was securing the weapon, he then returned it to his hip. Packing up the contents of the case, he went to the main mechanism that drove Wild Times' momentum, and threw a long lever on the ground. A peg with an orange splat on it fell into place to block the main sprocket from turning, and with a dying halt, and some final creaking, the amusement park fell asleep then went dark. As he walked to the exit down the path between the attractions, he remembered the most important lesson his father had taught him. Now that he had lightning in his paw, it came with great responsibility. This was illustrated by his father having him stand at eighty feet on a baseball field, and take a hit. Unlike modern stunners, the electricity is carried in the gel paint as the round is fired between the electrodes. The electricity sticks like glue and can sting its victim for up to three agonizing hours. That kind of pain is debilitating and was meant to stop even the largest of mammals. It was a bad day when he learned that lesson and his mother was ever more furious with his father. Clawhauser stood at the threshold between the outside world and the lost Wild Times park. With a final glance, he knew he would have made his father proud.

"Thanks, dad." He said quietly to the warehouse. Without a lock, the attractions were at the mercy of vandalism and further destruction. At least he had a good run of it first, leaving behind mysterious orange splats, some in unreachable places. He pulled on the bay door, and his training came to a close.

Gazelle had been putting the finishing touches on her painting. The little specks of light caught by the roof tiles on the large warm house brought them to life, providing a serene home for the arbitrary gazelle and cheetah that lived there. The two shapes sat on a balcony that overlooked a forest that flowed downward into a bay and the ocean beyond. The passion of the sunset was in full flame, and the clouds were silhouetted like an audience in a grand theater. She stepped back and looked at it, felt it, and studied it for any more improvements. Her papá had to make her stop otherwise she would've been at it for another hour.

"It is finished, mi luz, and it is beautiful." She nodded and smiled with his approval as he gave her a sideways hug. They had spent hours practicing and studying, painting fruit until the fruit had been eaten for lunch, and dappling the leaves of trees with the tips of different brushes. It was nearing the end of the day, and she wanted to get back to her cheetah. She had missed him, and the sentiment translated right into the painting itself. It was a shame she needed to let the oil paint dry for a while, so she grabbed her phone and snapped a clear photo of it so she could show Clawhauser when she was home. Melhem was cleaning their brushes and she joined him, sharing the duty and splitting the work. She hadn't told him that she did, in fact, have some artistic skills already. Sometimes she designed her own costumes and sets, but nothing compared or was enlightening as crafting a happy world without any loss, pain, or troubles. "I knew you were a natural, you are my daughter!" Melhem boasted. "So much nicer than dancing and singing and shaking your hips." She nudged him with those hips and smiled. She was glad to connect with her father and share the joy of painting with him. If only her mamá was here to see this, see her being at least quiet. "I'm proud that you inherited my love for art, better that than your mother's intuition. Aye-aye-aye, she could see what would happen before it happened, heh, made raising you easier! She always seemed to know." He oddly joked. With a final rinse of the clean brushes, Melhem dried his paws. "You know, I have something for you." She was made curious. As she dried her own paws. Her papá retrieved something from a cabinet. He presented a small jewelry box, and she thought it was a piece of her mother's jewelry or something old of hers. He opened the box and inside was a plain gold ring, it was his own wedding band. "This was the only piece I hadn't sold for money to come here. Your mamá told me to save it for you along time ago, for when you find the one you love, and I must keep my promise." Her mother had told him 'when' like she knew the day would come. She lifted the ring and looked at its plain golden brilliance. She was pretty sure it would fit Clawhauser's finger, she could easily imagine it. The fact that she had even thought of it was proof enough. Her papá was introducing the idea that she should marry him, and she was agreeing with the idea. Melhem took her paws and held them firmly to make sure she heard him well. "I can see how you two make each other's lives much happier. You know I'm right, we both have an artist's view of life. You want to fill the world with beauty. You want to fill his heart with love, he wants the same for you. Oh, mi luz… Marry him." She couldn't deny her feelings. She took the ring from her paw and placed it back in the little box, then took the box. It made her papá so happy, and he gave her a kiss on her nose. "Your mother and I love you so very much…" she pocketed the ring into her purse. Melhem smiled proudly, he knew he was right and she was going to try. "How will you propose to him?" He asked. She shrugged and thought a fancy dinner wouldn't be a bad place to start. She had fed Clawhauser healthy food all week so she didn't think he would refuse such an offer. It's been a life-changing week for them both and some fine cuisine would be a welcomed thing, but of course when the time came, she would pop the question.

The evening night air was cool in Savanna Central after their extravagant meal at Sea and Orchard. She told him she wanted to watch the fountains at central park and enjoy the full moon with him. Clawhauser agreed delightfully, unbeknownst of what she had in her coat pocket. The cheetah, who held her arm, was dashing in the brown coat, and she knew where it came from, who the previous owner was. He felt like he was finally filling the footprints he was always meant to, and his new strength glimmered in his still gentle and loving eyes. She held firmly on his arm, nervous, shaking like a leaf that she was about to ask the question of a lifetime.

"Darling, are you cold?" He asked her, but to her, the question felt like she had been caught. She shook her head once quickly and flipped her hair out of her eyes. The cool winds of autumn were blowing in and the trees were beginning to turn to the dry hues of autumn. They had strolled up to the fountain in the center and marveled at the dancing sprays as they bounced around and dazzled their audience. She remembered performing here, it was her last performance ever, and it was here that she would forget all that and launch herself fully into her new life with her love. The place where they first met, she was on stage and he was in the adoring crowd, unknown until he came to her dressing room in the halls of the nearby recreation center. He had been the one in the million. She palmed the ring box and held it firmly as the world slowed down around them. The spotlight was on her once again, and her cheeks were rosy with love. She pulled the ring box out and smiled with joy, but Clawhauser was paying attention to something else, someone else.

"Oh… No…" He said unbelievingly. A particular hippo was approaching them, and with his arms gesturing in disbelief himself, Philip Hittomas called to Clawhauser.

"I knew it was you! Recognized you a mile away!" He remarked with arms out wide. Clawhauser was peeved and leaned to whisper to Gazelle as she pocketed the ring out of sight.

"That's the guy I fought." She was struck by a ping on her senses and wanted to run, this one was trouble. Clawhauser shook his head in disbelief. "How did you get out of jail? You struck two officers!"

"The law has a soft spot for money, and I have a great lawyer!" He wasn't wrong but Clawhauser wished he was. Gazelle tugged on Clawhauser's arm in an attempt to flee this encounter. She didn't want him to fight, he had just recovered, and they were supposed to have a wonderful evening ending in an engagement of a different kind. Clawhauser stood his ground, knowing he had the Songbird at his side. He could've drawn it and dropped the hippo to the ground, he could make him writhe in pain and pay for his crimes in a very memorable way. His paws were twitchy, wanting badly to shoot lightning, but he had to dismiss the idea of it. It would've been poor judgment to do so. His father would've never done it over some petty thievery of apples, or even someone being a jerk. His paw stayed and Philip came nearer. "No way!" He exclaimed again. "You're Gazelle, The singer Gazelle!" He called out. She cowered behind Clawhauser's arm, holding him tight and scared that she was known. His focus was back on Clawhauser with a dirty grin. "Is she your girlfriend? Ya know, it kinda fits that a loser like you would pick up a piece of trash like her. You couldn't find yourself a respectable woman?" Gazelle was ticked by the insult, she mustered her resolve and stepped forward. The hippo continued his insulting without losing a beat. "Whoa, she's even skinnier up close! I bet tubby here eats your meals for you!" Gazelle whipped her paw out to slap the hippo. She had thrown all of her weight into it for ruining her special moment. The strike stung her wrist, it was like slapping a rock, needless to say it had no effect. She pulled her paw back and winced in pain.

"Gazelle-" Clawhauser couldn't get a hold of her before Philip shoved her down, hitting the hard ground in a twisted slump. The wind knocked out of her and she gasped to reclaim it.

"How dare you!" Clawhauser swore at the hippo, getting in his face and burning with rage.

"What are you gonna do about-" Clawhauser cocked his left arm back and launched his fist like a bullet into the right side of the hippo's cheek. He didn't see the left hook coming. The hit sent Philip spinning with the combined force of passion and rage, making him kiss the dirt and lose a lot of his awareness. Clawhauser let him lie and gather the snickers of the gawkers around the fountain. No one could have argued with the choice he made, they all had witnessed the scene, and as Clawhauser reached down to pick up his love with his other paw, a cheer came around for them. Gazelle held her hurt wrist, and once she was on her feet, he planted the most romantic kiss on her, leaning into her and letting her melting in his arms. He sat her back up and she was breathless and blushing, a little embarrassed, but her sweet cheetah had been there to protect her. He realized just how hard he had hit the hippo. His paw was beginning to feel like it was on fire and the pain was growing more urgent. He winced and held his paw, flexing it to make sure it still worked.

"I think I broke something…"

Gazelle filled two bags of ice from the fridge, this time, one for herself and one for her noble cheetah. Her wrist was beginning to swell and his paw was much worse. His knuckles had bruised and his fingers were swelling, making them less dexterous than before. He had served justice, though, and the whole ordeal was behind them. Clawhauser was to return to ZPD tomorrow and clean up whatever clerical mess that had been created for him in his absence. Gazelle was caught staring at him, deep in thought, and thinking about how oddly things had turned out. Good things still happen, she could see that now, and life was layered thicker than she could believe. She learned the hard way to close her mouth and open her heart. Clawhauser had shown her that, he could've been a chef, but chose a more honorable path of duty, or perhaps the path chose him. There were no boundaries as she thought about her new journey of learning to paint. She will suggest to him that he should take some cooking classes sometime very soon. He had defended her against an insulting jerk, but the scariest part was how she had been recognized, how it was still very possible and that there were those out there who still wished harm on her for the record label's dangerous game. She was now protected at his side, and he would never stop being her biggest fan. She walked up to him with the pressure bandaging for his paw. She bent down the floor with her supplies as he hunched on the couch, letting her wrap his paw with the bandaging. She gently turned the roll of cloth around carefully to bind it from moving too much while Clawhauser let out a sigh.

"What a week…" He rubbed his cheek with his right paw then felt something loop a finger on his left. He looked again to see Gazelle on one knee and a golden ring around a finger. It only laid to the first knuckle, his paw too swollen for it to fit properly. Gazelle was blushing, wanting to hide her face bashfully, but she let him see her clearly as he always had. She needed not to ask before he answered "Yes!"


	6. Chapter 6: Promises

Chapter 6: Promises

4:49 am.

Distant thunder rumbled through Judy's apartment as a gentle storm skirted by Zootopia. Sprinkles blotted the window, refracting circles and runs of light onto Nick's orange face as he laid awake since the first thunder rolled. He didn't have much hope of getting any more rest. He looked at the time on the clock radio and knew it would sound its alarm at five-thirty, in much less than an hour. He slowly adjusted his arm, pulled the hem of the blanket back, and uncovered the fluffy head of his partner, his bunny, his Judy. He watched her sleep, her deep and steady breathing while the light of the street wrapped her features in gold. He laid as still as he could, never disturbing her dreams, and keeping her oblivious to the pitter-patter of the rain.

5:11 am.

Nick's mind wandered and he had a lot to think about, remembering the time they met, how she had saved his life in the rainforest district, how frightened he was and how brave she had been. He relied on his wits to out-fox the situation, but if he ever was met with brawn, his instinct was to run, and it was hers to fight. Impulsive and naive as she was, he kept her balanced, and she kept him on his toes. They were balanced perfectly, and together, they made an incredible team. She kept him from being bothered by the things he experienced throughout his life, she was his rock. He couldn't deny her when she wanted to wear his casual tropical green leaf shirt to bed, wanting to be completely surrounded by him.

Instinctively she rolled over and buried her face into the shirtless fur of his chest, wiggling her nose as she smelled him. Her warm breath came and went on a single spot, then she cooed once as her paw gripped his arm. She felt at it, kneading his arm like a child, and it soothed his mind of worries, complications, expectations, even his troubles. He dared not to move, watching her sleep peacefully as she nuzzled her head up beneath his chin.

5:29 am.

Nick looked at the clock again as he traced the edges of her ears with his fingers. He felt their soft and rigid shape, studied them, enjoyed the nuances of their innate natural beauty. He cupped her head, admiring the simple attraction he had for her supple face. As he stroked her left cheek, he felt three faint scratches that had scarred, they were concealed by her fur and he had discovered their secret location. He figured the incident that left these marks must have happened while she was young, wondering who had marred her skin, what fight had she gotten into, and he wanted to ask about it some time, just know more about her. He couldn't deny that there was something truly special about her.

He looked at the clock again, reading the same time. Though a minute was only sixty seconds, he closed his eyes, wishing that the world would stop and he'd be adrift in this moment for all eternity. He'd be happy if it did.

5:30 am.

The radio buzzed just once. Judy stirred with a mumble and reached for the clock, forgoing the need to roll over. She pawed at the air until Nick tapped the large snooze button on top and took her hand to place the back of it to his lips. She buried her face again into him.

"Five more minutes." She groaned. Nick smoothed her ears down lovingly and she hugged into him again.

"Carrots?" Nick asked. "Why are you sooo cuddly?" Judy turned her head to free her mouth, never opening her sleepy eyes, she answered.

"It's a bunny thing… We snuggle up where it's safe..." It made all of the sense in the world. He closed his hold on her and pulled the hem of the blanket over them both, sealing himself and his bunny in for a few more minutes of paradise. He whispered sweetly into her large ear.

"Snooze button gave us ten more."

Judy was sorting through files to be archived before the morning briefing in the bullpen. She had dropped the files off on Clawhauser's desk, noticing it was unlike the big cheetah to be late. Shortly after she sat the files down, Clawhauser walked through the front door, and on his arm was his beautiful Gazelle. He looked distinguished in his father's brown coat, and they both seemed very happy about something.

"Good morning, you two lovebirds!" Judy greeted. Clawhauser smiled at her.

"Just go about your business, Judy. Nothing to see here." She chuckled as he yelled out. He turned to Gazelle and spoke quietly. "I'll see you after work, darling." And they kissed tenderly. Gazelle departed with a wave to Judy, and then she was away. Judy admired their love and it made her smile as she took Clawhauser's advice to go mind her own business. She headed back to her desk, and halfway there, she met with her coffee-drinking fox. He had a smug look across his whole face and Judy just couldn't stand being left in the dark.

"Nick, you have that look like you know something." She asked. Nick sipped his coffee and swallowed it audibly with a satisfying sigh before he replied.

"Clawhauser has big news for everyone." The secret rolled off his tongue. Judy thought of what 'big news' could mean. She ran through some ideas before she noticed Nick staring up at the clock on the wall. He was counting the seconds until the next hour rolled in.

"5… 4… 3… 2… 1…" He counted, and at zero, Nick turned with dead gusto and finger pistols, aiming them right at Clawhauser. Judy looked to him, just in time to see him stop looking at his watch and start bouncing around the room with a short stack of tiny envelopes.

"He's got… INVITES!" She exclaimed to Nick as he retrieved one from his shirt pocket and held it up in display. Clawhauser cheerfully made sure the entire police force got one.

"One for you and one for you and one for you and-" He handed an invite to Judy as her eyes widened in excitement. She opened it, reading that she was cordially invited.

"It's about time you two are getting married!" She burst out. Clawhauser handed one to Nick but he blocked it with the one he already had.

"-not you-" and the chubby cheetah moved on to disperse the rest of the little envelopes. Nick chuckled amusedly.

"I never would've thought in a million years when I first met the guy, and now look at him!" The department was converging on Clawhauser, shaking his paw and patting him on the back. "And look at these!" He held up the invitation. "Just when I thought I've seen it all." Judy thought Nick's mood was peculiar if it wasn't happy.

"You're in a good mood." She commented with a sideways glance at the smiling fox. He chuckled once and agreed.

"Yeah I guess I am, I think there's love is in the water. C'mon, let's go razz the lucky guy."

"Nick, be nice." She told him but he responded with a sarcastic innocent expression. She stood back and just let him do his sly work. Nick walked up to Clawhauser and began.

"Clawhauser, I have to say, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, that you are one fortunate mammal… to be alive." Judy didn't know where this was going, but she listened as Nick continued. "Think about it, a million fans all across Zootopia, at some point, wanted to marry Gazelle, and you are actually doing it!" Judy slapped her palm into her face, now she knew where this was going. "There will be a lot of jealousy out there, oh yes my friend, there will be danger around every corner, eyes on every wall! You have a month until your wedding day, and you would be a fool to think you'll be safe, how will you ever survive?" Nick stopped and looked alarmed. "I think I heard a twig snap!" He quickly threw his body to cover Clawhauser from harm. "Everyone! Form a shield of mammals! Get him some Kevlar!" Nick tried to cover him more, but he wasn't at all effectively covering Clawhauser's size. "Get ALL the Kevlar!" Judy burst out laughing with everyone else, laughing so hard that her sides began to ache with the hilarity of the theatrics. "We will all be vigilant to make sure you safely arrive at your wedding. So, as serious as I can be right now, Congratulations, big guy." Everyone clapped at Nick's amazing speech. Judy did, in fact, hope that nothing would go wrong between now and the wedding, hoping this wasn't one big omen.

The bullpen was extra rowdy as Bogo entered and told everyone to shut up. Once everyone had, he began.

"First order of business. I didn't get an invite but I know when and where already and I'm going. Ok, now that that's cleared up, here are your assignments." Chief Bogo divided the teams and sent them to various districts for many different reasons. Wolford and Delgato were to follow up on a burglary case, Higgins and Snarlof were sent to see to a report of vandalism in an open storage warehouse, Pennington and Johnson had been sent to escort an official into city hall, and so on. The day was now starting to seem like a regular day until Judy noticed that Bogo started to stall after he gave out the assignment files. It was just Bogo, Nick, and herself in the empty room now. A tension was beginning to build when she noticed that there were officers still standing outside the doors. Bogo noticed them too and came around the podium to their table. He bent down and quietly spoke them both. "Carry on." Was all he said. Judy was confused.

"What? Chief, wait!" He vacated the room without saying anything to her but yelled at the lingering officers to get a move on. Nick hopped out of his chair and tugged at Judy to leave out of the side door. "Nick, what's going on?" She asked, and Nick pointed with his thumb to move. He peeked out of the door and saw no one, then guided her through the halls to the side fire exit. It wasn't ever used since an alarm would sound if the door opened. Nick pushed it open and to her surprise, the alarm had been disconnected.

They emerged out into the street behind the department. Nick looked around cautiously then ran across the road to Finnick's parked van. Judy followed, and as soon as she had a chance, she was going to ask a million questions. The sliding door opened for them and they jumped inside. Finnick hopped into the driver's seat and they drove away. Judy sat on a small crate and was overflowing with curiosity. "Nick, answers please, use your words this time." Nick looked around.

"Finnick, did you get the stuff?"

"Yeah I got it." He said as he pointed to a duffle bag in the passenger's seat. Nick grabbed it and pulled it into the back, opening it with a quick zip.

"Ok Carrots, change into this while I fill you in." He pulled out what appeared to be a costume of some kind. It was a gray hooded sweatshirt with fox ears on it and a fox tail attached to the back. Nick was undressing, taking off his utility belt, badge, uniform, then changed into his normal green shirt and pants. "Leave everything police issued here. Where we're going, you really don't want to have any of that stuff on you."

"Where ARE we going?" Nick was busy putting everything in the bag when Finnick answered for him.

"Happy Town." He spoke in an angry tone like he didn't want to be there himself. Nick threw on a tie and adjusted it, looking like he'd never been to work that day. He smiled and asked.

"Ok, so, how many foxes have you seen in Zootopia?" Judy thought about it as she gave him her belt and badge. She left her heavy vest on the floor.

"Uhm, aside from you, Finnick, Silvia… that's all." She never minded it, but they were right. She hadn't seen any more than three foxes since coming to Zootopia. "Nick, where are all of the foxes?" It was almost a dumb question. Nick answered with the same phrase.

"Happy Town." Judy had removed her gear and slipped on the hoodie. She figured from a distance, she would blend in as a little gray fox. She was going undercover with Nick into this ominous place.

"Two minutes." Finnick announced. Judy looked out of the front windows of the van and recognized the old neighborhood.

"We're by Hannah Lopper's old house." Nick took a deep breath.

"Ok, short history lesson. Beyond this neighborhood is a small district where all of the foxes live. It's called Happy Town because the city gave it to foxes to live and be at peace since no one likes us, trusts us, so on and so forth. But over time, the district fell to ruins because the city never intended to maintain the electricity, the water lines, the roads, sewage, anything. It's a mess." Judy thought it was awful to mistreat a whole group of mammals that way.

"That's terrible!"

"Oh yeah." Nick went on. "Foxes, we all start there, and many of us never leave." Judy was appalled by what she was hearing, but she thought she had found a hole in the story.

"Your mom and you don't live there, though." Nick smiled.

"Good observation. Ya'see, I recently learned that my father worked with ZPD and managed to get us into a nice place. I, on the other hand, when I moved out, I couldn't find a place anywhere. No one and I mean NO ONE would accept me. I have my place now because it's in Chief Bogo's name… and he intimidated my landlord so as long as I pay rent on time, I'm good. Bogo needs me, and you'll soon see why." Judy knew life was tricky for him, but having a fox's life sounded demeaning or worse. She pitied him deeply.

"Nick, I'm so sorry to hear all this. That's so unfair." Nick gave her a little smile, one that represented the words 'it's ok' if nothing else. The van rolled and jerked to a halt and Finnick announced.

"We're here." Nick reached into the bag again.

"Almost forgot, wear this." He gave Judy a long plastic fox nose to wear on her face. She tied it on and tucked the string beneath her ears, then pulled the hood up with its own ears over her head. Nick nodded with approval and shot her a thumbs up. It would have to be enough to fool anyone not looking too closely. "One last thing, keep your paws in your pockets whenever you can."

"Why?" Judy asked as Nick yanked open the sliding door.

"It's a fox thing. It means you won't touch anything." It made sense but it showed more of the depths of the oppressed culture of foxes. They got out and Finnick rolled the window down.

"I'll be circling the block. I'll keep an eye on my phone, call me if there's any heat." He flicked his sunglasses out and put them on, looking around a little before driving off.

The van moved and the boundary of Happy Town was before them. Judy and Nick both set their eyes upon a fifteen-foot makeshift wall made of wood and metal scraps, bolted together by nails, screws, wire, probably whatever the foxes of Happy Town could find. The wall spanned between two buildings along the crosswalk, effectively cutting off the street from the rest of the world. At the top, the district's name was spray painted in bold letters, and below that, it said 'fox only'. The rest of the graffiti was a collage of hateful and derogatory terms. Never trust, untrustworthy, liars, foxes suck, crappy town, there was so much of it that it made Judy's heart sick. Such behavior was despicable. Nick stared at the wall amazed, the tapped on Judy's shoulder and said quietly.

"Well… this is home." He stated. "Let's get moving. We can get in through the checkpoint." They jogged over to the side of the wall and Nick knocked on the thick bolted door with a big '4' painted above it. In a short moment, the little window in the door slid open with a harsh scrape. Nick gave the fox inside a nod and it closed, followed by more unlocking clicks on the heavy door. Judy was nervous and kept her head down, hoping that she wouldn't be caught right here at the entrance. No one had told her what the consequences were if she was caught, that frightened her, and she hoped Nick knew what he was doing. She still didn't know what their business was here, but it had to be important to warrant this level of discretion. "Let me do the talking." Nick reminded her.

The door opened with a hard final click and a squeak of its old hinges. Once the door was wide enough, he slipped in and Judy nervously followed, tucking her paws into the pockets of the hoodie and keeping her head down to avoid contact. The door shut with a scraping clap behind them, a heavy locked sealed them in, and Nick began to gain them access.

"Hey Gene, how's it been these days." The scrappy orange fox looked tired as he rubbed his eyes. He wore a bandana around his neck and a plain white sleeveless shirt, nothing about him seemed official except his role as the checkpoint guard.

"Good morning Nick, it's been alright since garbage day. Glad you came to help out." The fox yawned and adjusted the bandana around his neck. "It's too early for me to work out here, I gotta get a schedule change."

"Yeah, we'll be on our way so you can go relax and pretend we were never here." The tired and scrappy fox took a step closer to block Nick from exiting through the door on the opposite side. It startled him, and Judy was nearly shaking in her rabbit feet.

"I can't do that, Nick. Everyone in and out must be confirmed. Gotta know where our people are in case of an emergency, or otherwise." Gene pulled his phone out and clicked away at it. A message was sent and a silence hung in the air while he awaited a reply. Judy looked around the outpost, still managing to keep her face hidden. She noticed a movie paused on an old TV accompanied by a raggy couch, and magazines were strewn about to keep the guards occupied. There were posters of Happy Town from its glory days, and it was quite beautiful with vintage lights and signs, neon, new storefronts and patio seating. The photos showed that the district was, once upon a time, a paradise for the foxes. Next to the door from which they entered, there were only two names written on the wall beneath a label that read 'honorary access'. The first name was Clawhauser. Nick had told her the story of his father and his work with a Clawhauser, which clarified why the name was there. More interesting than that was the name Bogo written beneath it, and with red marker, it had been scribbled out. The foxes must have revoked his access after the deaths of Piberius and Chase. Though Judy remembered Bogo initially didn't care for foxes, despite knowing who Nick and his father was, she connected that either Bogo or the foxes had scorned the other over their loss. Bogo needed something from within Happy Town and the foxes were blocking him. He needed Nick for something.

A buzz came through on Nick's phone, then a moment later there was another. Gene checked his phone and looked to Judy.

"Who's she?" Judy's heart leaped in her chest. She thought they might get through without trouble, but she was about to be caught. She looked to Nick, nearly exposing her face. He twirled his paws, telling her to make something up. She calmed down and said her name.

"Judy Gray, visiting from Bunnyburrow." It was the only other name she knew besides Wilde and Fawkes. Gene clicked away again at his phone, Nick's phone buzzed again, and again with a reply.

"All clear." Gene spoke and Judy let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Do you need a sherpa?" Nick shook his head as he pulled Judy up to the exit door.

"Born here, Gene, I'm good." Gene chuckled and opened the door for them.

"Welcome home then, Nick." He shook his paw as Judy was ushered through the exit. Nick replied with a smile to the scrappy fox.

"Do we ever truly leave?"

Judy and Nick stepped into an entirely different world as the door behind them clanged shut. She needed a moment to take it all in. Where to begin? The streets were broken apart and wild grasses grew in the crevices, some patches big enough for flowers and bushes to thrive. There was no possible way a car of any size would be able to travel these long forgotten boulevards. She figured they would have to walk along the equally cracked and overgrown sidewalks. A thick mass of vines and shrubbery reclaimed a rusted old car, sitting up on cinder blocks with its tires long gone, and windows smashed ages ago. The walls of the derelict buildings were cracked and the bricks were beginning to crumble under the age and lack of maintenance, and above that was a layer of graffiti in wild colors displaying angular names and signs, as well as fox-pride contrary to the messages on the outside of the wall to seemingly counteract the negative with a positive. Some of the windows were boarded up and missing their glass, and even from window to window, cables ran between them to share electricity from the buildings that still had lights. Along the roofs were pipes and makeshift walkways from building to building, and Judy knew if she could get up there, she'd be able to navigate to anywhere using the high road.

Nick moved on, almost leaving Judy behind. She kept her paws pocketed and walked with her head down, she could feel that there were eyes everywhere. She also realized why Nick is always on his phone, he was in a network of communications to manage the district, powered by a clever use of technology. She vocalized the thought and remarked,"For a run down place, you still have nice phones?"

Nick grinned. "Yeah, it's a luxury and it keeps us all connected, helps manage everything. And like I said, I know everybody. The non-foxes don't have any problem with it. We collectively pay the bill and money going out of Happy Town, it is ok for everyone else, but money coming in is not. The city wants us in the slums and it gets worse everyday." Judy was piecing Nick's choices together, it was likely he couldn't find a job anywhere either, making him resort to street vending.

"That's why you hustle?"

"That's why we all hustle. It's how we survive." Judy followed Nick around a corner.

"Ok, I have a lot of questions."

"The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. We have some walking distance so fire away." Nick prompted as they stepped through a decrepit alleyway. If Nick didn't know where he was going, they would very easily become lost in this jungle. Judy took a breath to begin quizzing Nick.

"Ok… Garbage day?" Nick pinched his nose as a bad memory came to him.

"Yeah… a dozen garbage trucks unloaded in the streets and left it for us to clean up. Probably some reminder of what we are or something metaphorical like that. I don't know what caused it yet but someone messed up somewhere. I took a few days off to help clean, and some time after that was when they must have walled up the district. That's their fault though, they gave us a lot of recyclable material to work with. Next question?" Judy never stopped being amazed at the level of disrespect that the foxes were getting. She pressed on, walking closely by his side and trying not to look around too much to give the illusion she belonged, still nervous that she was a bunny in fox territory. She was glad it was daytime, the streets were likely much busier during the night. She asked another question to stay focused.

"Clawhauser and Bogo? Their names on the wall?"

"In general, the cops were never good to us around here, there's been a long history of bad stuff. But I know now that Clawhauser senior and Bogo worked with my pops, and THEY did a lot of good here in Happy Town. Bogo was a part of their crew when he first joined the force, and he was a greenhorn so the foxes thought to give him a chance, bestow some respect and understanding, trusting my pop's judgment. As the story goes, things changed and Bogo was blamed for the incident. He tried to attend the memorial for him here, and we banned him after some harsh disagreements. It's no wonder he's cranky all the time, Clawhauser and I probably remind him of something he doesn't want to remember. Mom and I lived outside the district, she made everyone keep it a secret, and I was told my pops had left Zootopia for a better life…" The subject was tough, but Nick stayed stoic as he spoke. Judy was wondering how he was faring with the new information. He sighed and jested. "I'll take Happy Town History for 300." Judy knew she could ask questions all day about Happy Town, but there was one question she hasn't had answered.

"Why are we here?" Nick nearly stopped walking, but turned and carried onward.

"Not safe to say out here. You'll know soon." He answered, or rather he didn't answer. Judy sighed and looked around, everything still looked the same with no discernible landmarks. They walked across the street with its many grassy fissures, by a reclaimed trolley car, and turned a corner. Judy saw a sign that welcomed them to Happy Town, meaning they were still along its borders. "Ok, I'll give you a bonus question." He stopped and pointed up at the sign above a storefront. Judy read it aloud.

"John Wilde, formal wear?" She asked. Nick went on.

"Funny you should ask. This place belonged to my grandpops. When I moved out of my parent's place, I came here to fix it up and try to make something of myself, a real retailer and not some hustling fox. I managed to get this place in great shape but without a small loan from somewhere, it would just stay empty. I went to every bank in Zootopia asking for some startup cash… and every single one of them shot me down. As a last resort, I asked Mr. Big. He came through, and he kept a close eye on me after that. I got the lights on and the racks stocked with suits and tuxedos of all kinds… then on a stormy night, something terrible happened. I fixed a leak in the water tank on the roof, and when the rain filled it up, it collapsed through the building… I was buried in there for hours until a bunch of foxes came to my rescue... I lost everything, as much as I wanted to be legitimate, I had to hustle to pay off the debt for years. Mr. Big could've extorted money from me but he was fair enough. He cut me loose and knew I would continue to make mistakes… I may have inherited my pops' memorization and wits, but I certainly did not get his good luck." Judy felt so sorry for her fox. She looked into the dark glass windows and saw the tangled boards and the mess of clothing on metal racks. The hole in the ceiling and floor was filled with destruction. To think that Nick was trapped in there brought a queasy feeling to her stomach. She turned away and faced her reminiscing fox as he also stared into the establishment. She now knew why he couldn't sleep when it rained.

"Gosh, Nick…"

"I'm fine, obviously, and I have a good job now, and I have you." He included her in his short list of good things in his life, and it made her smile. She hid her face, not just from blushing but to conceal herself from a fox that had exited a building. Nick continued walking.

"Let's keep moving, it's not far from here."

Nick stopped at an apartment building that looked identical to the others around it. Judy looked up and then looked to Nick skeptically. They entered the building and climbed the stairs up to the second floor. The interior wasn't glamorous but it was clean and well taken care of, it didn't reflect the outside directly as the building had some form of regular maintenance. Its old wallpaper was peeling and there were loose floorboards, but it was perfectly habitable.

At the top of the rickety stairs, Nick turned to a door and knocked on it. Judy kept her head down as a clicking sound came to the door, then it cracked open.

"Nicholas Wilde?" The lady fox asked. Nick nodded and she let them enter. Nick and Judy stepped into the apartment space and the door closed behind them.

"Just call me Nick, and this is my partner, Judy Hopps." Nick had said her real name, and she was unsure if it was a mistake or if she was a trusted contact. "Carrots, you can come out now." Nick told her. She lowered the nose to hang around her neck and pulled the hood back. Her own ears popped up tall and it startled the white fox hunched before them, though she wasn't exactly standing by her own strength, she had two crutches under her arms to keep her upright. She was all white aside from the tips of her paws, feet, ears, and the end of her tail being silver.

"Nick!" She exclaimed. "What're you doing bringing a rabbit here!? How'd you even get her in?" Nick chuckled at his accomplishment.

"Gene isn't very observant when he's sleepy. Besides, she started the case, she should be here to get the info from the source." Judy realized this was all about her case for Bellwether, which means this must be Silvia's place. Seeing the folders, files, and cabinets, she believed she was right. Judy assumed she would have some fancy office, but even a high-class lawyer wasn't impervious to the common treatment of foxes. The room had a bunk-bed stacked in the corner, which impeded on the available space they had, and there was a shelf of various law reference books.

The white fox calmed down and introduced herself.

"I'm Snowy Fawkes, Silvia's little sister." She tried to move forward to greet and shake paws with Judy, but she had a difficult time of it, and the pain was flashing in her eyes with every step. Judy moved to her instead and shook her paw. She had a kind look of gratitude, and it told Judy that she was having too much trouble with her legs. "Mind if I sit?"

"Please do." Judy blurted out, not wanting Snowy to be uncomfortable on her behalf. She carefully sat and leaned the crutches against the desk.

"Glad you could come today, it's tough to keep this case from going belly up. We had to start a number of false rumors to hide what's really going on." She sorted and stacked some folders and leaned over to drop them into a cabinet. Essentially Judy figured she did secretarial work for her sister. "Silvia will be here soon, she got hung up at the bus stop. Mind if I have something to eat? I didn't get breakfast today." Nick shook his head, and Snowy reached down below the desk into a mini-fridge. She pulled out a familiar container and Nick read the logo impressed into the top of it, 'Sea and Orchard'. She opened the container and inside was a mealy salad. Nick saw it with a vivid memory from a particular date, a date that had been a while ago, and this salad seemed new.

"Let me guess, that's a Mealy Salad, no tomatoes, extra olives, low-fat salad dressing, and Parmesan cheese, grated, not sprinkled, with just a cup of the soup with four no sodium crackers." Nick rattled off. Snowy froze and was stunned that he knew exactly what she was eating.

"How did you know about the soup?" The door clicked open and Silvia entered, a little out of breath and juggling her briefcase. She came in and didn't see that her little office apartment had visitors.

"Sorry I'm late, is Nick here yet?" She turned and met face to face with an angry Nick. She was startled and almost fell back.

"You hustled me for a salad!?"

"Hello to you too, Nicholas." She sat her briefcase down on the desk and opened it, pulling out a file and setting it out for Snowy. Nick followed her around as she worked. Judy stayed out of it, not wanting to get in the middle of this one. Nick cornered Silvia and demanded answers.

"Did I mean anything to you at all?" He barked in her face.

"Yes, thanks for the wine too." She slipped away and Nick clawed at his face in frustration.

"I can't believe this, I should've known!" Silvia scoffed and took her jacket off, hanging it on an old coat rack with bands of tape keeping it together. She shook her head and spoke with a charming smile.

"Don't feel special, I do this all the time."

"I actually kinda sorta maybe liked you! Now I completely hate you!" Snowy leaned back in her chair and interrupted the intense conversation.

"I ask her for them, Nick." He turned his focus to Snowy, but couldn't be mad at her so he gave her a moment to explain. "It's my favorite thing to eat, and I can't walk well enough to get them myself, or even have the money. I didn't know how Silvia was getting these, but I didn't care... They make me happy." Nick's rage deflated like a loose balloon. Snowy's condition was less than favorable, and even worse, she was also a fox trapped in Happy Town. Nick sighed and spoke.

"Foxes aren't supposed to hustle other foxes… that's one of our laws." Silvia looked tired, if not exhausted from the stress.

"Please understand, I'm running out of options." Snowy spoke up again to relieve Silvia of the burden.

"Sis, if it's that much trouble, please stop. I can live without salads…" The conversation hung for a moment of silence. They were her favorite thing, really just a simple salad, and she was sacrificing it.

"Ok." Silvia agreed. "No more salad hustles." Silvia went to the filing cabinet to get some papers when Judy noticed Snowy was rubbing her knees, and the look on her face was strained, she was in a lot of pain. She couldn't help herself and asked.

"Snowy, are you alright?" Snowy sighed and hung her head.

"Haven't been alright in a long time." She turned in her chair and faced the group. "A while ago, I saved up some money to buy a book, and on my way home… someone swerved to hit me with their car… it shattered both of my knees. The paramedics arrived and they just pushed me out at the edge of Happy Town. They didn't want an impoverished fox at the hospital taking up space..." Judy couldn't hold her tongue knowing of this injustice. She was furious.

"Did you get a license plate number? Make and model, color of the car, description of who was driving, anything? I can put out an APB to bring this mammal in! I swear I'll-" Snowy shook her head in defeat.

"Judy, this all happened eight years ago. I've made my peace with it." Judy's heart ached deeply for the white fox to have to walk on broken knees for that long, she imagined it felt like hot shards of glass, she couldn't imagine living like this. Snowy made an effort to stand up and Judy rush to help her. "I'm fine, I'm not going far." She used her crutches to get herself upright and walked over to the bedroom door. "Despite all of that, I never let go of the book I bought." She opened the door and the small bedroom was lined with shelves full of plants and pots. Each one labeled with its type and the small greenhouse glowed in the artificial heat lights. Nick poked his head in and remarked.

"Impressive." Snowy smiled with her accomplishment.

"The book was about herbology. From that I learned to grow medicines, make herbal teas and home remedies. It's what I can do to help the community." Judy smiled at her amazing skill, it reminded her of the herbs grown in the greenhouse on her parents' farm. The importance of her work had no bounds since Happy Town likely had too few medical resources, and she was sure when winter came, she would be busy with the seasonal sicknesses that came with it. Judy commended her.

"Wow, Snowy, I think I could learn a thing or two from you." She giggled at the wonderful compliment.

"I'm just happy to keep everyone healthy." And she really was. Judy had a great thought to help her out.

"That's really cool, and ya know, if you're ever jonesing for a salad, please let me know. It wouldn't be much trouble to pick one up and drop it off with whoever is at the checkpoint." Snowy's face illuminated with joy.

"You serious?"

"I promise!" She pulled the hood over her head, letting the faux fox ears stand. "Foxes don't hustle foxes."

"That's so sweet of you, thank you so much!" Silvia had been paying attention, and she typed away on her phone for a bit. Judy went into the greenhouse and looked around for a moment while Nick's, Snowy's, and Silvia's phone all buzzed, a lot. Judy took notice as they all smiled at her.

"What's going on?" Judy queried. Nick spoke up first, bending down and hugging her.

"Congratulations, Carrots." He said. She wasn't yet aware of what had happened.

"What?" She asked, Nick released his hold of her and placed his paws on her shoulders.

"You just got your name on the wall. You and yours may come and go freely." She smiled, the kind gesture of simply bringing Snowy a salad when she asked was plenty enough. The fact that there had only ever been two names to ever have access was a massive honor, and she would do her best to keep the privilege.

There was a knock at the door. Silvia answered it and on the other side was a taller, more robust fox. His fur was more brown than orange, and he had longer blonde hair on his head, and a notably brawny build. He had a slack expression as he asked.

"Hi Silvia, is Snowy here?" Snowy responded.

"Hey Tod. I'm ready to go." Nick turned around, remembering the name as she said it.

"You're Tod?" Nick asked and the relaxed fox replied.

"Yeah bruh." Nick almost asked a follow-up question then he realized his mistake.

"Oooh… I asked for Ms. Fawkes and you're both Ms. Fawkes, I get it now. You're Snowy's boyfriend." Tod shook his long hair out of his eyes and nodded lazily.

"Right on." Silvia stepped in, seeming to be perturbed.

"Even though you answered MY phone." Tod hesitated, contemplated, whatever he was doing, not all of the gears in his head were turning.

"Oh... I suppose you're right." Snowy felt the need to explain.

"I remember that. On your date night, I caused Silvia to miss the bus, I'm sorry she was late, I couldn't get up the stairs. Then she told me that you invited us to Carrot Days, and just once it would've been so nice to see foxes in a free environment, no persecution, no hate. Maybe even dance… but that night, I fell down the stairs, I got hurt..." The room was silent. Nick and Judy were stunned, and what they thought had happened wasn't true at all, the truth was tragic. "One day, we will be able to afford the surgery and I won't be a burden on everyone..." Snowy said, feeling shameful. She wanted to leave now, and she tugged on Tod. He bent down and used his strength to pick her up, cradling her in his arms. She held onto her boyfriend, hugging onto him securely, lovingly. He looked in her eyes, giving her a soft expression that meant that she would never be a burden to him.

"C'mon, babe. It's my shift at checkpoint four, there's a TV and a DVD player, and I just bought Pig Hero 6 from a weasel for a sweet price." He got the door open and on his way out, said one last thing.

"Nice to meet you, Hopps, and welcome to Happy Town!" The door closed and they were off to watch a section of the wall together. Judy shook her head in disbelief.

"Does everyone now know me or something?" Nick replied.

"Yeah, pretty much." Judy wondered if she even needed the disguise anymore, and she figured she didn't and removed the plastic nose piece. Silvia sat in the desk chair and opened a folder.

"Tod's nice. He makes great candles and soaps, and he's trustworthy because he's too dumb to hustle, he doesn't try. Snowy takes good care of him." Judy was glad Snowy had a solid boyfriend, especially one able to carry her around. She wanted to bring a salad for her sometime next week, she intended to keep every word of that promise. Silvia turned in the seat and presented a case file.

"So, the reason we're all here today is Bellwether's case." Nick provided a foldout chair for Judy and himself, and they sat in a small circle to discuss the details. Silvia continued explaining. "This case is extremely sensitive. There are lawyers working on counter-appeals just to keep her where she is. Nick and I have been working on it since everyone is suspecting that you're a sympathizer." Silvia took a deep concerning sigh before she went on, it bothered her. "There's also a price on her head. I have to watch my tail when I get around, I had been confronted once already today at the bus stop." Nick and Judy looked at each other with jaws dropped. Neither of them said anything as they processed the information. "Any form of release is out of the question, of course, but I found a loophole we can exploit." Judy had hope in her heart, but she had a bad feeling about it as well. She didn't know if she could handle any more bad news. "We can… maybe… get her transferred to a different facility. She's classed by her species' size, not her actual size, and she's no bigger than a rabbit which would be sent to the small mammals facility. If we can get her moved, she MIGHT be safer in the new location." Judy should've known better than to hope, but she grabbed for straws anyway.

"Any chance of a shorter sentence?" Silvia thought of it as a dumb question but she stayed professional.

"Not a chance, there's no reason. She'll go from the prison to the retirement home." Judy's gaze fell to the floor, and she slumped over. Nick put his paw on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Carrots…" he said. Silvia closed the folder and sat it behind her on the desk.

"Judy, I read a copy of her letter. Just like you, I'm here because I too live by 'anyone can be anything'. I will try everything I can for her, and I'm confident that I can get her transferred." Judy was still in defeat, and all she gave was a sad nod. Bellwether's life was over whether she lived or died, transferred to the small mammals facility or not. It would take a miracle for anything otherwise.

"Thank you for the effort." Judy said to Silvia quietly. Nick shook Silvia's paw professionally and opened the door for Judy, it was time to go.

"Never speak of this case, no one can know anything, and watch your tails." Silvia advised them.

The walk back through Happy Town was a little more comfortable. Judy didn't need to wear the disguise at all, and many of the foxes greeted her and waved at her. This third-world district was accepting her with open paws, and it felt a lot safer. They approached checkpoint four and they went right through. Judy was greeted by Tod and Snowy curled up together on the raggy couch, starting to get into their movie. Tod gave a salute to Nick and Judy, and before they went through the door back out into the normal world, she read her family's name on the wall, Hopps.

Judy quietly sat in the back of Finnick's van, Nick sat up front and stared at his phone, reading and keeping up with the fox network. She changed back into her uniform and stashed the disguise in the bag. Nick noticed she hadn't said anything since they left Silvia's apartment-office and engaged her in some conversation.

"You ok, Carrots?" Judy sighed.

"Just a little bummed." Nick turned his body around in the seat to talk to her easier.

"Yeah, that place will get to you like that. I'm sorry about Bellwether, we really tried…" Judy was silent, staring at the floor as the van rumbled on. Nick felt bad for his emotional bunny, and he had a much better place to show her. "Finnick, make a left at the next light." He knew where he wanted to go. The turn came and they stopped. Finnick put the van in park, as Nick hopped out and pulled the side door open. "This stop will cheer you up. Hop on out." She did as Nick told Finnick to go do whatever. He pulled away and they were left near a large building.

Judy looked up at the pristine white marble pillars and flute-edged stone structure. Stepping into the grand stoop before its giant wooden doors, Judy couldn't help but express her marvel.

"This place is monumental."

"Wait until you see the inside." Nick said as he held the door open to usher her in. Judy crossed the threshold, and felt as if she had been transported to yet another world, a much better world. She didn't know what to expect, she had never been to an actual sanctuary, or had been involved in traditionalism altogether. She first noticed there were no chairs or benches, just a single line of flat mismatched stones that provided a path down the center. The rest of the floor was grass, a pure emerald lawn, nearly luminescent with the sunlight pouring through the ornate paned windows around the sides. The walls were covered in vines and creepers, flowering wildly and sharing its beauty openly, happily, for all to see. Amidst one side of the interior, a group of four mammals slowly went about their meditation, posing with their arms and legs to channel the energy of the sanctuary into them, through them, then back out. Despite the group comprised of a beaver, a wolf, a doe, and a hippo, they were in perfect unison. Butterflies roamed freely from the tulips to the daisies, and everywhere in between. At the back, a rose window depicted a grand tree, and through its mosaic, it bathed the interior of this space with a magical iridescent color that gave a feeling, or more like a promise, that all is right with the world.

She looked around the foyer for Nick as he signed them into a visitors book. She read a sign next to him that displayed some simple messages saying 'please remove your shoes' and 'please don't eat the flowers'.

"You look like you've never seen one of these before." Nick smiled at her. He seemed to like sharing things with her today, but this was something otherworldly in a good way, a divine installation in an otherwise imperfect city, one that no other structure would ever compare to it.

"I've never been inside one." She said, looking at everything she was able to see. They continued walking down the center until they reached the end of the path. Under the rose window, a tall stone stretched up from the ground. To each side, a fountain, and there were four wide basins of various sizes. On the front of this gray monolith was a great number of green and brown paw prints. The bottom was dappled in the smallest of the prints from mice and otters, widening upwards until she could identify distinctly the prints of giraffes and elephants. The stone radiated an aura from the multitude of touches, and she was humbled by being in its presence.

"This is a stone of trust. One of these sits at the birth site of every major city. We leave our impression upon it to promise our civility." Nick dipped his paw into the paint and Judy did the same. It felt tacky and cold sitting on her paw pads, and she followed him up the stone as he explained. "Now if I go low and you go a little high, we can put ours together." He pressed his paw on the stone in a spot that was rather old and brown. Judy stretched her arm up and nearly slapped the rock just below the fox print left by her partner. This subtle act of leaving behind a print felting bonding, like the stone itself recognized and welcomed them.

"Is it just a stone or?..."

"It's as magical as we think it is. Truth is, it's a symbol of our community as a people. Our ancestors learned that working together improved their chances of survival, and they profited from their unity. The paint is made of the grass, and over time it'll turn brown. It reminds us that we must trust others, and that others trust us, and we must maintain the trust." Judy had listened, but the paint on her paw was drying and becoming an uncomfortable tacky substance. Out of respect, she didn't wipe it off, Nick hadn't. "The paint is made with an oil and it will peel right off by the time we leave." He said as she fidgeted, he knew the paint was an odd sensation. She looked to the knowledgeable fox as he turned to sit in the cool and earthy grass a little before the trust stone, giving it space for whoever else wanted to visit it. Nick began to tell her what it was all about. "Because we are all still a part of nature, and we have to respect Mother Nature. People come here for many reasons. It gives them a sense of peace in their busy day, not having to worry about anything for a moment. Sure it's traditional of a simpler time but it depends on how far you want to go. I'm sure you like this better than the Naturalists Club." She scoffed. He wasn't wrong, she was fascinated by this place of calming and rest, and may visit it on her own the next time she needed a reprieve.

"There isn't one of these in Bunnyburrow."

"So I guess you don't know any chants?" Nick asked and Judy shook her head.

"No, do you?" Nick sat straight, and kept his head straight forward.

"I know… only one really important one." He took a deep breath for a moment. "Are you willing to do this?" Judy thought for a second. She didn't want to offend her partner so she agreed with a nod.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Ok." He kept his head forward, his arms rested on his knees and held his palms upward. He began reciting as Judy mimicked the posture. "Mother Nature, we are volunteering a moment of our time to do a favor, and we ask a favor in return. We will listen to you if you hear us." Judy looked with a raised eyebrow at Nick.

"Are you sure that's a real chant?" Judy skeptically asked. Nick refreshed his poise and repeated the chant again.

"Mutter Natur, wir sind freiwillig einen Moment unserer Zeit einen Gefallen zu tun, und wir bitten um einen Gefallen zurück. Wir hören Ihnen zu, wenn Sie uns hören." Judy was astounded, she's never heard this language before and it was completely alien to her. Nick grinned at the bunny cop and couldn't help himself to a remark. "It works in either language." Judy felt as if a deep force had looped her into something much larger than her. Despite being a little bunny, she felt pivotal as if the universe turns its eye to her. She couldn't tell exactly what it was, and she wondered if Nick felt the same, connected perhaps by the chant?

"So what does it do?"

"We do something for Mother Nature, and she will help us if she can. It's all about balance, nothing is ever free. So now we silently ask the Mother for just one reasonable thing we want." Nick closed his eyes and let the golden sunshine lay into his furry face. Judy looked forward as well, closed her eyes, and opened her mind to think about the one thing she wanted.

"Mother Nature? Hi, it's Judy Hopps… I'm just a bunny… uhm… I just wanna ask if you can help Dawn Bellwether. She changed the world, and I believe she deserves a second chance… and we need a miracle..." She stopped. Feeling like she had signed an invisible contract but without any confirmation. The words traveled from her head into nature, and she hoped they would be heard. She opened her eyes to see Nick just finishing his own ritual.

"Feel better?" He asked. She nodded her head. "What did you ask for, or is it personal?"

"Not personal, Bellwether needs the help. What about you?"

"I figured as much." The sly fox predicted. "I favored for you." He said, and he pulled his old and worn silver leaf from his pocket and stared at it for a moment. He turned it over in his paw then held it out to give to Judy. "I want you to have this." Judy took it and studied its history of notches and scratches again. She shook her head and held it out to give it back.

"Nick, I can't-" He pushed her paw back to her, and put it over her heart.

"I really mean it." He told her with consideration. She looked at it again, accepted it, and placed it securely in her own pocket.

"I know how much this means to you. I will cherish it." Nick stared off at the trust stone and gave another history lesson.

"Our ancestors wore petrified leaves to signify that they were friendly to everyone. These days, they're made of precious metals. It's kept me lucky, now it'll do the same for you."

An elderly white cow in a green robe walked in holding a watering can. He sprinkled water on the ivies and vines, and the flowers growing wildly without containers in the infrequent parts of the lawn. "Here's someone I'd like you to meet", Nick told her as he helped her up from the grass. "Gardener Cowell!" He called to the attendant of this divine place.

"Ah! Nick Wilde! Back again so soon?" The white cow chuckled in a joyous manner. He sat the watering can down and shook his paw. He leaned down to Judy and shook her paw as well. "And who might this be?"

"Judy Hopps, pleasure to meet you." She greeted. Nick smiled widely.

"So, have you heard? We're having a wedding soon." The old cow smiled and twitched with more joy.

"I know, I know! I always love a good wedding! They'll be by today in a moment so feel free to sit and reflect. If you need anything, I'll be around." Cowell went back to his gardening duties while Nick went and sat back down, Judy followed. She was at peace in this place, and she laid down and closed her eyes to reflect for a moment.

She thought about how the world needed someone who cared. In the grand scheme of things, she wondered if that was her role. She wanted to make the world a better place, and she was fighting to give someone a second chance, someone for whom everyone hated, even she was beginning to wonder if she had the right judgments. If the Mother willed it, Bellwether would be dead in a day, and the world would have never understood what she had done for it. Bellwether chose this for herself, and she had such sadness from her life of poor circumstances. Judy wondered if this was already the work of Mother Nature and there was nothing she could do, or nothing could be done to fix the darkness in someone's heart. Maybe she was just that naive. Maybe she wasn't the one meant to save her, and there was someone else capable of curing Bellwether of her trauma.

"Get off… my tail." Nick spoke aloud, and it woke Judy out of her light dozing. She thought she had rolled into his tail but he wasn't talking to her. From behind Nick, a little white bunny hugged his tail tightly.

"Soft…" Hannah said gently, and buried her face into its thick fluff before Nick started to move to pull her off. Judy was surprised to see her, wondering how she even got here.

"Hannah? What are-" she looked up and saw Cowell speaking with Clawhauser and Gazelle, and more to her surprise, her mom was here too. "Mom!" She called out, and her attention was caught. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi hun!" She called back and they walked to see each other. Judy gave her a big hug as she answered the question. "Nick asked me to be the wedding planner, so here I am! The little one wanted to come with… I think she's been here before." Bonnie pointed at Hannah as she dipped her hand in the green paint then tried to stretch upward to put her print with Nick and Judy's. She ran back and hung onto Gazelle's leg as she and Clawhauser discussed wedding plans, Gazelle looked at the little bunny, and just let her cling, smearing a green paw print on her. Judy filled her mom in.

"Yeah, she once lived just up the road from here. Anyway, it's quite the honor to be the wedding planner." Bonnie chuckled and waved her paw.

"Hun, I've planned so many weddings in my day, and I've been kinda bored since the big harvest before the winter. Which is another reason I'm in town, I have to do some taxes for the farm. Trust me when I say that nothing is for certain except taxes and death! … You do still have that fox-spray your dad gave you, right?" Judy rolled her eyes and pointed to the spray holster and its contents on her utility belt.

"I got an upgrade to a police-issue everyone-spray." Bonnie smiled.

"Perfect! I have to admit, at first I thought I was gonna plan YOUR wedding when Nick called. I'm a tad disappointed." Judy smirked with a head shake, and gave her the proper reason.

"Mom, married officers can't work in the same precinct. One of us would have to transfer to a different department, or resign, or change professions. It's too much of a liability, and it's an official policy." Bonnie sighed and put her paws on each of Judy's cheeks, and Judy placed a paw over hers.

"Hun, one day, you'll have to make a choice whether or not play it by the book, and do the right thing. I only hope you know better when it comes time to choose…" Judy would remember her mom's wisdom, and thought about her journey so far, how much Nick had taught her about how gray her world actually is, she was a gray bunny thinking in the black and white, right and wrong. Nothing was ever as it seemed, and she was understanding that. She smiled a confirmation to her mom, clearly over-thinking that she probably meant that she wanted her and Nick to be married. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk some numbers with Gardener Cowell." She left to speak with the cow as Clawhauser shook his paw. Nick joined Judy before they approached, speaking quietly into her ear.

"You think he's wearing Kevlar?" Judy gently elbowed her fox in the side. Clawhauser plucked the little white bunny from Gazelle's ankle and pulled her up, setting her on his shoulders to give her a piggy-back ride. Hannah held onto the fluffy cheetah's round head as he spun around once to make her laugh. Nick chimed in "Hope everything is going well for you two."

Clawhauser smiled as he replied "Couldn't be better!" Hannah playfully covered his eyes with her little paws and he gasped dramatically. "O, M, Goodness! I'm blind! Only weeks before my wedding nonetheless!" He turned to talk to Gazelle but she wasn't where he thought she was. "I'm sorry, darling, but we have hard times ahead of us! But don't worry, our love will keep us strong!" Gazelle jotted something down on her notepad. "I hear you writing and there's no way for me to read it. The answer is eventually, the answer is always eventually!" Gazelle held the pad up for Hannah to read, it said 'will you be our flower girl?' Hannah's face widened with a smile and she nodded with excitement. Gazelle smiled back and bent down to give her a sweet kiss on the nose. Bonnie came back and updated everyone.

"Ok, everything is going ahead just fine here… what did I miss?" She knew she missed a moment and Judy filled her in.

"Hannah is going to be the flower girl." Bonnie's heart melted as she imagined how adorable she would be in a flower girl dress.

"Oh that's wonderful! Ya know, I asked Judy on several occasions to be the flower girl, and let me tell you, I couldn't get her in a flower dress if my life depended on it." Judy was a little embarrassed but she knew she was too old to be asked ever again, essentially she had won the battle.

"Ha! I still don't plan on wearing a dress, I'm wearing my formal police uniform. The whole police force is invited so-" Bonnie got in her face over the decision, and with a spark in her eye, she told her.

"Don't you dare! There will be NO uniforms at this wedding. Besides, Judy, don't you want to look beautiful for your boyfriend?" Surely she meant Nick. Everyone was quiet for a moment, Judy was now very embarrassed and Nick was put on the spot. Gazelle wrote on her pad and shared it with the group, all it said was 'oooooh'. Judy palmed her face and pulled on the arm of her 'boyfriend'.

"We're done here." Judy and Nick left as Clawhauser shook Bonnie's paw, thanking her. Gazelle bent down and kissed each of her cheeks, happy with Bonnie's beautiful arrangements.

It was a six days from the wedding now, and the wedding guests and participants were becoming eager for the big day, but there was still work to do. Silvia and Snowy crunched all that they knew to build a case to transfer Bellwether to a better suited and much safer facility. They hit the books hard, letting no law or by-law slip through their grasp. The day had come when every scenario had been played and routed, and the time came to present the case to the head of her law firm for approval and enactment.

She wished Snowy could be there with her, but she had too much trouble getting around as needed. Still, Silvia rode the elevator of the building upward to the executive offices at the top. Clutching onto her briefcase full of legal salvation, she swallowed hard with nerves as she approached the top floor. With a ding, the elevator doors parted and before her was a hall. She walked tall to the office at the end, her boss's office, Mr. Berkshire. Off to the side of the door, waiting patiently in some seats, was Chief Bogo and Fangmeyer. She didn't mind them and didn't break her focus as she knocked on the double doors twice before entering. She closed the door behind her and made sure it was cracked open just a little. She was greeted by the swine sitting behind a large oak desk in front of a wide window view of the city.

"Aw, Ms. Fawkes, right on time. What can I help you with today." He said as he picked up a snow globe and shook it once before placing it on the desk like it was some kind of hourglass. She cleared her throat and steeled her wits for battle.

"I'm here to see a resolution for Dawn Bellwether's facility misplacement." Silvia sat down her briefcase and opened it, pulling from it the thick folder of research and paperwork to support her case. She sat it down on the desk before the pig and closed her briefcase, returning it to her side. Mr. Berkshire nodded, twiddled his fingers a bit, and then with utter coldness, he pushed the file back towards Silvia slowly until it rolled off the edge of the desk. All of her and Snowy's hard work splashed onto the floor. Silvia was angered but it didn't escape her lawyer face. Mr. Berkshire spoke quietly in response.

"And what, exactly, do you want me to do? I know all about your case, and it's confusing why you want to help such a terrible mammal, the one that tore the city apart for a few weeks. She's right where she belongs." Silvia had nothing, she relied on what was now a scattered mess around her feet. She decided to say something she didn't know would help.

"It's complicated, I don't know if you'd ever understand."

"Probably not, Silvia, but what I do understand is this." He reached into the drawer and pulled two papers out. He sat them next to each other before her. "I want to make deal with you. I have here the transfer form to do what you are asking, I'll sign it only if you sign this." He slid the other page forward. She held it up and quickly read it, it was the terms for her immediate termination. She was even more furious but didn't show it.

"This isn't a game."

"Oh, but it is! I'm having fun, aren't you?" The fat pig chuckled and bounced in his cushy chair.

"Why do you want me terminated?" She asked. Mr. Berkshire leaned forward and folded his paws below his chin.

"You've been bad for business ever since you started this case, it's reflected poorly on the firm. Did you really think you could keep it all secret? You're an amazing lawyer, I'll give you that, so you have a choice. Drop this case and keep up the good work for us, or get the transfer and quit your career." Silvia thought for a moment, fully knowing she was being paid little to nothing, and she wasn't making much headway towards affording Snowy's much-needed surgery. She asked herself what Snowy would do, acknowledging that her sister had accepted her condition with dignity. Silvia could learn from that example, and though she had worked extremely hard against the odds to become the best lawyer in Zootopia, it would be shameful if she didn't sign that paper. She grabbed the pen and whipped out her signature on the line and slapped the pen down to punctuate it. Mr. Berkshire grinned wildly. He took the pen himself and kept his word, scratching his own signature onto the other page then sliding it into his fax machine beside the desk. He dialed the number and the paper faxed through. It fell into the tray once it finished and went through to the prison. He had also faxed her termination agreement somewhere, it was in the system now and there was no going back.

It was done.

She had sacrificed her career to stave off the inevitable for Bellwether. She was hoping really hard that all of this trouble was worth it, some day something good would come of it.

"Well, that was fun. Ta-ta now." He said happily.

"Do I get a severance check?" Silvia asked doubtfully, still thinking of Snowy.

"Wha-... oh of course not! You've made a lot of money for us but you won't see any of it. The document you just signed states that you forfeit all future and retrospective payment. So run along with your tail between your legs back to the hole you crawled out of! …or am I needing to call in more garbage trucks, or perhaps bulldozers this time!?" He sat back in the lush chair and his lips curled at his victory. Silvia turned away and never lost her armored exterior, opening the door. She stood in it and stared at Mr. Berkshire until he noticed her. When he did, she opened the second of the two doors, exposing the angry looking Chief of Police.

"Chief Bogo!? What a surprise!" Berkshire nervously greeted as he and Fangmeyer entered the office.

"Mr. Berkshire, you are under arrest for withholding employee payment. Bellwether's transfer wasn't the only case she's been working on lately." He knew he was caught, and there was nothing he could say in his defense. It was unfortunate that the paper she had signed was legally binding and she wouldn't recover any of her lost wages, but it was satisfying enough to bust the criminal swine. Bogo cuffed him and nearly tossed the pig at Fangmeyer. "Take him downstairs!" He barked as he was hauled out by the tiger kicking and screaming. Bogo took the transfer paper from the fax tray and read it. "The transfer is at five o'clock this Sunday…" he read. "Ms. Fawkes, thank you for your help. I'm afraid there is little we can do from here on." Chief Bogo held up his phone and called Judy. It rang briefly and she answered with a chipper greeting.

"Officer Hopps, what is it chief?"

"She got the transfer. It's at five o'clock this Sunday and I want you and Wilde to do it."

"Chief, the wedding-"

"I know. Duck out, do the job, get back to the party. That's an order." Bogo hung up without a word more.

Fangmeyer was around the corner waiting for the elevator with his large paw over Mr. Berkshire's mouth to keep him quiet. He had overheard the resonating voice of the chief, and learned of the transfer time and date. The elevator dinged open and he and the pig skulked inside before Bogo could discover he was still on the floor. It was a grave mistake.

The big day had come at last.

Judy tugged at her new sleek lavender dress, uncomfortable with how tight the skirt was around the bottoms of her knees. Luckily no one was really around to see her struggle on the large stoop of the sanctuary building. The entire party was just beyond the doors beside her. She thought about what her mom had said, and despite not publically admitting it, she really did want to look nice for her fox. She heard someone whistle from behind her and she slowly turned to meet a very dapper and handsome Nicholas Wilde.

"You. Look. Great." He said with punctuated enthusiasm. He looked her up and down and it made her blush.

"Oh stop it, you look nice yourself." It wasn't a counter-compliment, it was true. His tuxedo made him angular, and he stood up straighter and taller, his fur was brushed smooth and sheened in the light.

"Shall we?" He asked as he held his elbow up for her to take it. She tossed her little purse over her shoulder and smiled at him with a hum. She gladly held onto his arm like a lady as Nick pushed the door open.

The sanctuary was far different from before. It was still open with its natural beauty, but it was now adorned with white ribbons arching beneath the high ceiling with paper lanterns providing an additional glow to the space. At the guestbook table, Judy and Nick saw pictures of the loved ones not able to be there: Chase Clawhauser, and Gazelle's mother, Nydia. Nick looked around for a second and turned to Judy.

"How tacky is this? Someone stole the pen." He pointed to the empty pen holder, pen nowhere to be found. Judy reached into her purse and pulled her carrot pen recorder from beside her badge and phone. She gave it to Nick so he could sign them in, and in a glance, her eye caught who had come through the front door. Silvia wore a royal blue power suit and Snowy wore a very elegant powder blue dress, being carried by Tod. The usher had stopped them from entering, thinking they weren't really a part of the wedding party until Judy approached with a friendly smile.

"Hey, you three! You made it!" Tod took Snowy in and laid her gently on the grass, and she sat sideways to keep her weight off her knees, then leaning on Tod after he sat beside her. She ran her paws across the soft grass, and with it brought a humbling joy. Judy noticed Tod wasn't even wearing a suit, it was a plain black shirt with a tuxedo image printed on it. Silvia nearly fell to the grass beside them and let out a breath.

"That was a very long walk… Judy, I couldn't thank you enough for the soup and salad, the invites, and especially the wine." Judy smiled caringly at them all.

"I made a promise and I plan to keep it." She said proudly. Silvia nodded at her.

"Sly bunny." Nick came up to everyone with the pen in his paw.

"The show is about to start, let's find our spot, Carrots." He pocketed the pen, and while walking down the aisle, his mother and Robert had stopped him.

"Oh, puppy!" She blurted out, and she and Robert huddled around him to enclose a private space.

"Hi mom, good to see you… what's this about?" She opened her purse and pulled out his pop's stun baton. His eyes flashed wide and his jaw dropped. "Mom!? What're you doing with this?"

"Giving it to you, it fell out of an old vest in the closet, and I thought you should have it." She gave it to Nick. "Battery is dead, though." Nick looked seriously at his mom for a second.

"You actually tried it?" He said concerningly. Robert interrupted her before she could say anything more.

"I did, and I must admit, it's an incredibly well-crafted piece, although it's above standard weight. I'm a bit of a collector, and you mother is teaching me to fence. That's how she and I met. You should let her teach you someday, she's quite patient." Nick thought it was an odd commonality with his father, and even considered the offer for a second, but couldn't possibly think of himself being a fencer, or even doing well at it.

"Yeah right, I'm a wimp compared to her and pops. I don't think I could ever fill his-" He was interrupted by his mom as she laid her paws on his cheeks.

"Don't discount yourself so quickly, try it, give it some time." Nick scoffed and put the baton in his other pocket, glad that he had it either way.

"Thanks mom, but promise just this one thing."

"Sure, anything." She agreed. Nick dismissed himself from them as he told her with a sarcastic smile.

"Stop bringing weapons to weddings."

Nick joined Judy as she waited in the aisle for her fox. The groom had walked up to Gardener Cowell and waited before the trust stone at the front of the ceremony. Judy observed the happy cheetah, sharing his delight and anticipation.

"Look at Clawhauser, he looks so handsome! Has… has he lost weight?"

"Ha! Yeah, Gazelle taught him how to dance, and changed his diet a little bit." Nick chuckled at the thought. "I'd never change for anyone."

"I never said you had to. I like you just, the way, you, are." Punctuating it with a poke of her finger to his chest. They took their seat on the cool grass among the middle of the congregation. Gazelle's and Clawhauser's family were mixed all together with the invited police force, no lines were drawn, and everyone talked cheerfully of the day indiscriminately as one large family together. Clawhauser wiggled his eyebrows to Judy and she waved back as the pianist sat down at the keys, and began her melody. The violinist took her posture as they began to play. Judy had made an observation.

"I don't see chief Bogo, he said he was coming." Nick simply shrugged.

Shortly in succession, the flower girl walked down the aisle with her basket of petals. Hannah tossed them high into the air, and let them fall where they may, she adorned the aisle with them happily.

"She's soooo adorable!"

"Wait until you see Gazelle." Nick fired back.

"How is it that you always see everything before I do?" She barely finished the sentence when the bride appeared at the doors from outside. Everyone turned as Gazelle graced the sanctuary with her presence. Judy's eyes sparkled wide and unbelieving, dazzled with wonder. Gazelle's dress was white and red trimmed, conforming sheenly to her long form and ending in a long frilly train. Every edge an intricate lacing of wine red hue, her long hair braided down the back and down her cheek. It could've been the first time anyone has ever seen both of her eyes at the same time, and there was no better time to see all of her beauty. Her horns were intertwined with garland and flowers, drifting gently and swaying as she floated down the aisle. Gazelle placed a kiss to each of her father's cheeks, and he held her paw as his daughter one last time before he gave her away to become a wife. She took her position at the right of the gardener, and stood straight and proper, holding her bouquet of red roses. Gazelle's father sat down in the front row next to Gem Clawhauser, and she held the paw of the proud and teary-eyed father. The two parents couldn't be any more happy for their children. If the congregation of the sanctuary was the kingdom, Gazelle was their beloved princess, perfect in beauty and divine in grace. The gardener began the ceremony once the bride stood before the stone.

"This day, we have come together to unite these two as one." Cowell went on. Judy was lost in the love that surrounded her. She thought of a fantasy for her own wedding, back in Bunnyburrow, of course. Nick would be looking handsome as ever, and a thousand bunnies would gaze upon her as she walked down the aisle. A crown of blue violets surrounding both of her ears, and the most beautiful and frilly dress she could get. She thought intently on this, and it made her heart melt in the rapturous joy it brought to her. Imagining the kiss she would have with Nick, and how happy the two of them would be for the rest of their lives. She couldn't withhold the thought any longer, and she had to say.

"I'm catching that bouquet."

"You are?" Nick replied. "What if you don't?"

"Then you're buying me one." She snapped back to him. He chuckled and looked into her eyes for a moment.

"Sure thing, Carrots." He said. Her smile grew from bunny ear to bunny ear. Clawhauser pulled his vows out of a pocket and began reciting them in professed love.

"Gazelle, the first moment I saw you, I thought that you would never go for a guy like me in a million years. I always made sure to catch you on the street when you sang and played your guitar, and gave you all that I could to help you on with your journey. I saw when your agent found you, then you disappeared and rose up to become the star of Zootopia. I was proud of you, happy to see that you had achieved your dream. It was one the worst days of my life when you fell, and lost your voice. I was lucky to have been there to catch you, and make sure you still had the quality of life you deserve… you've been through so much... I can only try my best to protect you, and keep a solemn promise to hold space for you, and save you whenever you need saving. A star fell into my arms, and that star is an angel with horns. I'll love you, no matter what happens."

Mama Clawhauser was audibly crying tears of joy. Nick leaned over and spoke through the corner of his mouth to Judy.

"Gazelle popped the question." Judy held in a giggle and didn't wish to disrupt this magical moment. It was Gazelle's turn to give her vows, and she signaled to the pianist. She brought out her old guitar with the stickers and decorations, put the strap over her shoulder, faced Clawhauser, and began playing a song she wrote for him.

The melody started as a curious child, innocent and playful. It bounded and explored, grew and learned through the notes as she herself had in her youth. It embellished while as it moved on. Gazelle swayed with the tune as she played, letting the music describe her journey as it took a soulful turn of notes. Clawhauser knew her life in great detail. He read her long notes describing her difficult arrival in Zootopia. How she came on a boat in the dead of night, and as the immigrant-filled boat docked at the wharf, the local authorities had been tipped ahead of time and coordinated a bust. She had nothing but her orange backpack and the clothes she wore, and as the officers detained them, one officer had grabbed her by her backpack. She unstrapped from it, left it behind to escape their grasp amidst the chaos. She had to dive into the dark waters and swim for her freedom, or face deportation back to the depravity of her war torn homeland. Gazelle thought her lungs would burst beneath the waters, and feared drowning, but when she surfaced at last near another dock, the police had given up their pursuit. She emerged from the bay soaked and freezing. She proceeded to rendezvous with her contact, an owner of a bar on the edge of the city, and received forged citizenship documents that would fool anyone at a glance, and a some pocket cash. She was lucky, she was the only one to make it off of the boat, though she didn't see herself as being very lucky while she slept on the bare floor in the hallway of the loft apartments above the bar. Then a time came when she tried singing for the patrons of the establishment on an open mic night. That's when she came to hate tomatoes as one was slung at her, and hit her in the face for singing in her native language. Booing sounds the same in every language, it broke her heart, and she had to bathe in wet wipes and napkins to wash it all away. In hindsight, it had been a mistake to try. Her melody changed as she refused to give up. The alone and defiant Gazelle made the choice to spend the cash she was given on a cheap guitar instead of food so she could share the music and singing she learned from her mother. She had to pursue her dreams at any cost. She played where she could, earned what she could, and finally found a job at that same Bug Burga where Clawhauser worked at the grill. He taught her how to operate the cash register, and helped to deal with the angry customers while she tried to overcome her language barrier. The tame collar riots came, and her voice had been heard all too well as she chanted and roused the crowd for freedom, knowing what it truly meant to be free. She had been arrested, then Clawhauser foolishly gave every dime of his culinary school fund to pay her bail, and if he hadn't, it was only a matter of time before she would be exposed as an illegal immigrant with fake documents and sent out of Zootopia. Soon after, she was scouted by her talent agent, and disappeared into everywhere on the television and the radio as she shined brighter and brighter by the day. Clawhauser accepted Bogo's sympathetic job offer to work in record keeping at the precinct, forfeiting his dream of becoming a chef, and filled the gap left by the loss of his father. The guitar melody changed again, this time to the familiar tune of Try Everything, and Gazelle certainly had better spirits. The world was her oyster with a hit single, until her accident. She stopped playing for a second and looked as if she was about to collapse as tear accumulated on her cheeks. Everyone worried, and the violinist stepped forward only to be stopped by the pianist with a shake of her head. The lively tune stayed silent as she touched the heart-shaped scar on her neck, and then sombered in again to reflect her depression. Then her loving cheetah found her and lifted her broken spirit after the world waved its paw to cast her aside. He loved her when depression encased her, he held her as she was up all night crying hysterically in distress. He disarmed her when she felt the call of the void and had the knife at her wrist. No matter what happened, he loved her. He loved her when the days blurred into unending ennui. Loved when things were at their absolute worst. And then, he loved her when the sun shined on her as they drove across the bridge, and she put her head up through the sunroof to feel the first winds of healing. She found comfort during the lonely day by wearing one of his large shirts, and his scent was like a promise of its own saying that he would always come home to her. He loved her and the home cooked macaroni and cheese dinner she made for him after a tiresome day. He loved her squeaky laughter as she gave him her company and listening ears to his hilarious tales from the police station. Through him, she discovered something more precious than anything she could ever dream of, something she never imagined finding when she was too blind with ambition, something least expected. She found him. Her guitar was her voice, music was her journey, and she sang these vows with the purity of her soul.

The sanctuary was stunned silent for a moment, then everyone cheered and applauded. It could easily be the last thing she'd ever write, there would be no song after that wouldn't be shadowed by its profound beauty.

The gardener announced boldly, finishing the ceremony.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride." Clawhauser took her paws and leaned in for a kiss, and Gazelle swept him off his feet instead, and leaned him over to embrace him feverously.

"WooWOOOO!" Nick hollered out at the unnecessarily hot kiss, and everyone in the sanctuary roared in one grand cheer.

The caterers had finished preparing a fine cuisine for everyone for after the ceremony. The appetizing aroma of succulent seafood, breads, fine pastries, and much more, lured everyone to try a little of everything. Clawhauser and Gazelle could barely be left alone long enough to enjoy a bite to eat. The photographer was snapping family photos and arranging the bride and groom in loving poses, each one with genuine love and smiles of course.

The reception went on for hours in the sanctuary, Nick was paying attention to the time and Judy had lost track of it entirely. She saw Snowy and Tod dancing, the moment far too precious to pass up a photo opportunity of her own. She used her phone to snap a picture of the tall strong fox holding his short feeble girl in a way that looked like they were really dancing. Judy snapped another when Snowy kissed him sweetly. Nick had finished his cake and noticed it was time to go pick up Bellwether. Before that, he wanted to congratulate the newlyweds one last time.

Clawhauser and Gazelle looked exhausted, but always happy to accept wishes from their friends and family.

"Mr. and Mrs. Clawhauser," Nick began. "Congratulations… you're hitched! Judy and I have to run do a really important thing, but hopefully we will make it back for the rest of the festivities." Clawhauser shook his head.

"Party's almost over, Nick. We were going to toss the bouquet and do the last dance." It was unfortunate that he and Judy were going to miss it.

"Yeah I wouldn't miss it for the world but we can't miss this errand either. I must say, this truly was a lovely wedding." He shook Clawhauser's paw happily. "And to you, my dear, you are one lucky gal." Nick took Gazelle's paw with a charming gesture and kissed the back of it.

Gazelle's mind had been transported with a snap into some kind of lucid dream. It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. It was hazy, but she made out what looked to be the back of Nick's head through a metal mesh. She sensed herself move and it felt like she was a passenger in someone else's body. She recognized Judy as well in her lavender dress and then realized who she was when she caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror, she was Bellwether. The car stopped and Nick and Judy exited the police cruiser on the side of some dusty road. She looked through the window and saw them meet up with a large tiger beside the cruiser. Gazelle was panicking, but it wasn't her panic, it was Bellwether's emotions streaming through her. She heard muffled voices for a moment and then the tiger sprang into action, knocking over Judy and pulling the door open. Bellwether kicked at the tiger but his grasp clung to her leg, ripping her out of the vehicle to roll across the grass by the road. Nick jumped onto the tiger's back and wrapped his arms around his neck as he shook, while Judy came around to punch him hard in the gut, knocking his wind out. He keeled over and grabbed Judy by both of her feet and swung her fiercely like a baseball bat into the side of the car. She crashed hard, went down harder, and the feeling of death fell into Bellwether's heart. Nick was shaken off, and as he checked on Judy's limp body, unsure if she was gone, the tiger regained his breath, and pulled a knife. He rose up as Bellwether scrambled backward, and his arm raced down into a sudden piercing explosion of pain. She had been stabbed in the heart.

Gazelle gasped and wheezed, startling everyone around her. Her breathing was heavy and she felt at her chest, making sure she was still alive. Nick was staring at her with her paw still held, and she took it back with a jerk. She had a vision, a terrible one. It was too powerful to ignore so she pulled the notepad from Clawhauser's pocket. She took the pen and wrote furiously on the page and ripped it off, handing it to Nick.

"Save Bellwether." Nick read it aloud. "Well, yeah, that's what Judy and I need to go do... how did you know?" Gazelle pointed at the page, tapped it harshly to show that she really meant it. "Ok, I got it. We're leaving now so don't worry your pretty little head." He tipped his brow once to Clawhauser and Nick left the meeting. Clawhauser held her paw and he seemed worried.

"Darling, are you ok?" She took a deep breath and shook her head, she was far from ok.

Nick found Judy talking with her mom. He was still scratching his head as he read the mysterious note over and over in his paw. He stood beside Judy and got her attention.

"Carrots, it's almost five o'clock, we gotta go pick somebody up" he said. Bonnie chimed in to remind them of the upcoming events.

"You can't leave now, we're doing the bouquet toss and then the last dance!" Judy groaned and Nick knew she wanted that bouquet. Nick thought for a moment.

"Carrots, a word." He pulled her aside and he seemed troubled, Judy picked up on it, knowing her partner all too well.

"Talk to me, Nick." He gave her the note Gazelle had written, reading it and feeling the need to ask. "What is this?"

"A very frightened Mrs. Gazelle Clawhauser wrote that a minute ago. You should've seen the look in her eyes! I don't know how she knew but… something is very strangely wrong here…" Judy didn't know how to respond, it was surreal. She saw the group of ladies gathering together for the bouquet toss, and Silvia was waving her over to join them. Nick pondered for a moment, there had been many opportunities to which Gazelle could've passed the note to them both, but it wasn't until he was alone without Judy. He thought this might have some significance and considered something. "Judy," he said to the bunny longing to join the group of ladies for the bouquet toss. "Go join them."

"Nick, are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah, I mean, all I have to do is pick Bellwether up, and drop Bellwether off. I promise I'll be back in an hour to then pick you up and take us home. Easy. Chief Buy-One-Get-One won't even know about it." Judy felt released from the task and was filled with joy.

"Really?" She asked, making sure he wasn't bluffing.

"Really. Go catch that bouquet, Carrots." She hugged him then hopped off to join the group while Nick departed.

All of the single ladies of the wedding were in a big group, Judy stuck in the middle somewhere between Silvia Fawkes and Francine Pennington. Gazelle walked before the group and Judy had observed the glint of fear in her eyes, and even thought she should be happier. It gave more credit to Nick's story and the strange note. Gazelle turned her back and the ladies poised themselves for action. With a lob, Gazelle threw the roses high into the air. At the right moment, Judy unleashed the power of her rabbit legs and jumped right at it. Everyone reached out, pushing into one another as Judy flew through and snagged it just before Francine could grab it with her trunk. She landed with a hard thump on the grass, avoiding a roll that would mess up her nice dress. She shook the impact out of her feet as everyone clapped and cheered. She sniffed their sweet perfume and smiled as she thought about messaging Nick about her victory.

The group dispersed, going back to their food, conversations, and dancing, all except for Francine. She stood alone in the grass with no one there to talk to. Her posture was defeated, and Judy couldn't quite tell with her back turned if she was crying. Judy approached the elephant cautiously and asked.

"Francine?"

"Oh!" She wiped her eyes with her trunk, feeling heartbroken. She had been so hopeful, but her size advantage wasn't enough to catch the bouquet. "Congrats." was all she could say. She was so sad, Judy walked around her as she turned away and held the roses up for her.

"Francine, wait! You should have these, I've already found my love." Francine smiled, and cried a tear of joy as she bent down to pick up the bouquet with her trunk. Francine couldn't be any more grateful.

"Wow… thank you so much, peanut."

Chief Bogo had arrived at the wedding, and missed the memo about no uniforms. He wore his formal police attire and Bonnie shot him a dirty look, or she had too much champagne to drink, either one, who cares. In his paw was a little box, a gift for Gazelle. He marched up to the bride and groom, and Clawhauser was excited to see him.

"Chief! You made it!"

"Yes, while most of the force has been here enjoying the party, I stayed at the precinct to make sure the city doesn't fall to pieces. It's been… a trying day. I said I would be here, and I also wanted to personally deliver a gift." Bogo turned to Clawhauser's beautiful wife. "Since you're are now married, I've taken the liberty to legitimize your documents. You are now a legal citizen of Zootopia." Bogo opened the little box, and inside was a certificate of citizenship, and a real ID card. Gazelle squeaked happily, and gave him a big hug. Bogo chuckled. "Though, I have but one teensy, tiny, favor to ask." Gazelle cocked her head sideways, curious what it could be. Bogo produced a blank paper and a marker from his pocket. "Can I have an autograph?" She lit up with nostalgic joy and gladly signed her name like the million times she had before, it was more of a kindness for her than him, seeing proof that not everyone hated her. Clawhauser squealed with delight at the chief.

"Ooooh chiiiief you're still a fan!"

"Yes, I am. Listened to her music on the way here, actually." He admitted a little shamefully then Clawhauser gasped loudly.

"And I just married your idol! Neener neener neener neener neener neener neener neener neener!" Clawhauser danced around the chief like a proud child. "Neener neener neener neener this is a thing now neener neener!" Bogo face-palmed and removed himself from the presence of the juvenile cheetah. When he turned, he saw Judy eating a plate of vegetables. His rage boiled hot in an instant as she had disobeyed a direct order.

"HOPPS!" He yelled across the echoing sanctuary, startling the bunny and causing her to spill veggies everywhere. She was busted.

"Chief! I didn't think you were coming!"

"Why are you still here? Where's Wilde?"

"He, uh… he's doing the transfer." Bogo marched quickly through the silent sanctuary, pulling Judy away from the party until they were outside of the front door.

"We have to catch up with him. You both were supposed to back each other up because this isn't an ordinary transfer. Nick could be in terrible danger!" Judy understood, and couldn't believe the mistake that had been made. She followed Bogo to his cruiser, and with lights and sirens blaring, they raced to find Nick.

Bellwether slumped in the backseat of Nick's police car as they drove down the long highway to another facility a good number of miles away. The ride had remained quiet but for the occasional jingle of her bell as it laid on top of her bin of personal effects, far out of her reach in the front seat. She longed to hear her bell, and it nearly made her cry, hoping Nick would swerve or hit a pothole, anything to make it ring more. She sighed and noticed Nick's sharp suit, wondering where he had just come from.

"You look nice." She spoke up.

"Thanks. Just came from Gazelle and Clawhauser's wedding." The word stung her, and her heart was dead. She knew someone had just achieved their happily-ever-after.

"I guess I'm not the only one beginning the rest of their life today." She said smartly, not finding any joy in it. "I have to thank you for the change of scenery…" she held her cuffed paws up high on the mesh between them, and Nick observed three deep scratches on her right arm. They were defensive wounds from an attack. The claw marks were still healing, pink and missing wool. Nick was glad they could get her out of there before anything worse happened.

"It was quite an effort, and someone sacrificed their career, their entire life's work, for you to be a little safer."

"Judy?" She asked, worried something bad had happened to her.

"No, a lawyer friend of mine. You inspired her to be what she is." Bellwether sighed deeply and slumped back into the seat.

"Anyone can be anything. I'm sorry she lost her career." She said quietly. Nick hit that pothole, and with a loud thunk of the car's frame, her bell rang out.

A moment of silence passed, then a set of red and blue lights flashed behind them. Nick didn't slow down, and wondered what was going on.

"Am I being pulled over?" He said as he looked in the mirror to see a tiger's paw point to signal him to do so. Nick found a dirt road that led into a grassy wooded area and turned his vehicle into it, feeling something was terribly, terribly wrong. He wished Judy had come with him to back him up. Despite that the situation was developing from a simple transfer to a potential confrontation made him hope that Judy had fun at the end of the wedding, and she better have caught that bouquet. Nick found that he was completely unequipped, having just his badge, wallet, phone, Gazelle's note, his father's weapon, and Judy's carrot pen. He had an odd sense that he had all that he needed, though. He pulled the pen out and clicked it to record.

"Judy…" he said then pausing for a brief moment. He hadn't much time to think of something to say before Fangmeyer exited the vehicle behind him.

"... I love you." He said into it and put the pen back into the pocket of his suit jacket. He put the baton in the other in case he needed it. Bellwether saw the tiger and was terribly worried.

"Nick," she quivered. "What's happening?"

"I don't know." He answered as he opened his door and got out. Fangmeyer was alone, leaning against his cruiser with his arms folded. Nick spoke first.

"Hey buddy, I'm ninety percent sure that I was going the speed limit." He rambled on as Fangmeyer stepped closer menacingly.

"Bogo has ordered that Bellwether is to return to the large mammal facility." Nick already knew that wasn't true, and really wished Judy was around to back him up.

"Ah, no. Y'see, I have explicit orders from Bogo to transfer her to the small mammals facility. If there is problem, I can just radio Bogo real quick-" Fangmeyer came close and shoved Nick away from his vehicle. He yanked the door open and grabbed Bellwether's leg with an iron grip. She frantically kicked at him but his power overcame her, ripping her out of the back seat and being thrown to tumble into the grass. Nick leaped onto Fangmeyer's back and held tightly around his neck, trying to subdue him. He was shaken off, and Fangmeyer pulled a knife aimed to kill Bellwether. Nick pulled the baton, and as the tiger was positioning himself to strike, Nick knocked the knife loose with a swing of the baton. Fangmeyer yelled in pain, and Nick struck again at his knee, bringing the tiger down. Nick clicked the carrot pen in his pocket and prompted a conversation.

"Think about what you're doing, Fangmeyer!" The tiger growled and laughed.

"I've thought about it for a long time, Wilde. Bellwether needs to die!" Nick was amazed that this officer of the law was ready to commit premeditated murder.

"She's going away for the rest of her life! Be reasonable! Let's talk about this!"

"Talk!? When prey feared predators, my wife was nearly beaten to death! You really think they TALKED!? She lost an eye!" Bellwether got to her feet and timidly came close.

"Sir, please…" She said sheepishly.

"Everyone wants you dead, and we're all in this together, predators, prey, police, even Bogo is in on it! But not that dumb bunny! Everything would be better if she was dead too!" Bellwether was dangerously close to the tiger as she tried to make amends with him.

"I'm so sorry about your wife-"

"Sorry will never be enough!" Fangmeyer exploded with rage, swiping his paw to knock Nick down again. He picked up the knife and turned to Bellwether with true savage vengeance in his eye. She screamed for her life and fell backward onto the grass in terror. Nick had gotten up and in a crystallizing moment, Gazelle's message struck his mind again, 'save Bellwether'. The knife was raised high overhead, and down it came as Nick put himself between it and Bellwether. The knife pierced into the left side of his chest, missing his heart by an inch. Fangmeyer never intended to harm Nick, and seeing the knife buried in him snapped him out of his blind rage.

"No…" The tiger whispered. "Oh no, Nick! What have I done?" Bellwether scrambled to her feet and dashed off into the woods, away from the murderous tiger. "Nick! Stay with me!" Fangmeyer panicked, and had to help his fallen fellow officer. He was prepared to kill Bellwether, he prepared an alibi, had connections to get him off the hook, he could have easily gotten away with it. Nick taking the knife was the worst possible outcome. Bellwether had escaped and he stabbed the wrong mammal. He panicked as he held his friend laboring for breath. Fangmeyer went through Nick's pockets, removed all that he had, any possible thing that could be used to identify him and carefully lifted him. He had lost consciousness, and the knife still rested where he put it, he feared that the wound would bleed out if it was removed. Fangmeyer positioned Nick in his cruiser and drove away hastily, leaving the scene of the crime eerily silent. Bellwether hadn't run far, and after a moment, she came back to see what was left behind. She found the baton Nick had dropped, and gathered his wallet, phone, badge, carrot pen, she even found the strange folded note. She broke down, wishing, knowing that it should have been her to receive the knife. It would've solved everything and Zootopia could finally rest easy knowing the monster that once toppled it was dead at last. She huddled by the evidence and waited, weeping in sorrow over the destruction that was always in her wake, crying for someone to find the police car, and find her to be taken away forever.

"It should've been me…" She whispered.

"Chief!" Judy yelled as they passed the dirt road and Nick's squad car was discovered. Bogo saw it too and slammed on the brakes and threw the car in reverse. He pulled in behind the abandoned car and the first thing they saw was Bellwether huddled in the grass. Judy jumped out and ran to her. "Bellwether! What happened!?" Judy then saw the assortment of Nick's belongings. She picked up the badge and the pen, and read the note from Gazelle again, 'save Bellwether'.

"Step back, Hopps." Bogo commanded as he approached to apprehend Bellwether. She picked up the pen and rewound it to its previous message.

"Judy… I love you." It said in his voice. She teared up immediately when she heard it, and knew what came next couldn't be good. "Think about what you're doing, Fangmeyer."

"I've been thinking about it for a long time…" the message played, becoming a perfect witness to Fangmeyer's revenge. The recording continued on. "...we're all in this together, predators, prey, police, even Bogo is in on it! But not that dumb bunny! Everything would be better if she was dead too!" Judy turned to Bogo in disbelief, and he tried to explain.

"You don't understand! I was trying to prevent this! It got out of control!" She didn't think, she reacted. She grabbed Nick's baton as Bogo quickly drawn his stunner in self defense. The electric diodes shot right at her but she deflected them with an accurate swipe of the baton as it extended. Weaving in close, she struck Bogo in the paw that held his weapon. He recoiled, dropped the stunner, and Judy disarmed its battery in an instant, plugging it into the baton to make it come alive again after years of slumber. She held its electrified point at Bogos neck, both of them panting hard with the tension between them. Judy didn't take her eyes off of him as she spoke to Bellwether.

"Dawn! Grab Nick's stuff, get in Nick's car, we're leaving!" She backed off Bogo as Bellwether came up to the car. She kept the weapon pointed at him as she walked around the front of Nick's cruiser. Bellwether sat the bin of her things on the floor and climbed into the passenger seat. Without any more words, Judy disengaged the baton and folded it. Having nowhere to put it on her dress, she just sat it in the drink holder. She started the car and turned it back around onto the highway, leaving Bogo and the scene in the dust. She headed them away from Zootopia, and Bellwether had noticed the direction.

"Judy, where are we going?" She asked and had no answer from the troubled bunny. "Please, take me back to prison." That note came to Judy's mind, that strange note, why did Gazelle write it? What did she know? A thousand questions reeled through her head at once, and even remembered how she had asked for a miracle. This was not what she asked for, and far from what she wanted. "Judy, we can't leave! Nick's been stabbed! I don't know where he's been taken or if he's alive!"

"SHUT UP!" Judy yelled impulsively at the sheep. She couldn't focus on anything, she couldn't fathom her beloved fox in life-threatening pain or worse. She wanted to drive, to have the time to sort it all out, and come up with a plan. The other thing that kept an order to her thoughts and actions was the note. She picked it up and unfolded it, reading it once for herself before giving it to Bellwether. "This came from Gazelle and no one knows why, so I'm going to do just that." She told her. Zootopia was getting further and further away in the rearview mirror, and she was constantly making sure no one was following her.

"I don't deserve it."

"Deal with it, we need a place to lay low, somewhere off the grid." Judy thought for a moment, trying to think of a good place. They'd expect them to go to the Hopps family farm so that was out, then it hit her.

"Olannglas." She said. "How do we get to Olannglas?" Bellwether pondered for a brief moment.

"I have a connection that can charter us a private flight. We're already going in the right direction to meet with him." Judy relaxed a bit, but was still frantically looking around for squad cars or lights and listening for sirens. Bellwether bent down and retrieved her bell from the box. She latched it home where it belonged around her neck, felt at ease again, and was glad she was able to hear its soft sound whenever she wanted. To Judy, it was surreal to finally cross paths with the world she had read about in the letter. She would ask questions when she got there, but for now, her goal was to reach their destination safely. Everyone would be looking for them, hunting them. As for Nick, she believed he was safe in a hospital somewhere, or at least she hoped.

It was all she could do.


	7. Chapter 7: Yellow Paint

Chapter 7: Yellow Paint

Taking a long draw of her coffee, Gazelle was glad to be home again in Zootopia, the city she loved. The cool autumn morning breeze chilled her short fur, and she knew that for the duration of the season, she wouldn't be going anywhere outside of Savannah Central. The coming winter would put a strain on the district's climate control, just as the summer heat beats down on Tundra Town. She loved the warm tropics with Clawhauser, and their honeymoon couldn't be any more relaxing, joyous, and a celebration of their union. They completed each other, and the worries they had in their life, and worries to come, were beginning to feel less stressful. Just thinking of him made her heart flutter, her eyes twinkle with passion, and she considered herself the luckiest girl in Zootopia.

She finished her coffee as she wished Clawhauser a wonderful day over a text message on her phone. Tossing the cup into the trash bin, she pointed herself across the street to the crafts store, a little shop of artistic supplies aptly named PIGments. The door chimed as she entered, and she would attempt to make the visit quick. The owner, Claris, was a real talker and Gazelle could never write a word in edgewise. She wondered if the over-chatty pig could even read. She had been painting like wildfire until her wedding day, and the tropics had been like a ten-day blast of inspiration afterward. She was filled to the brim and itching to get back to it. She thought she'd start with a portrait of herself and her husband, something she could hang on the wall to christen their new life, or rather the continuation of it since they already lived together. She grabbed the tubes of paint she needed and quickly made her way to the counter. The young boy cashier rang her up, and she thought she was free until her senses pinged.

The air seemed to sit still and the color of the world desaturated, there was something around, lurking, looming, and dangerous. It uneased her and adrenaline started rushing, she wanted to go home immediately, she had to find safety, and be safe. Claris had walked in from the back welcoming Gazelle with a smile and beginning to ramble, but Gazelle's instincts were still picking up on the mysterious source of fear. She didn't even listen to the shop owner and her prattling ego, she paid quickly and rudely left to go home, not at all minding how things looked to people around her.

Gazelle came out of the shop in a hurry and almost ran into another antelope. The encounter startled her, and was glad she didn't bump into him, his coffee looked hot.

"Oh, pardon me." The guy said, then with a second glance, he asked a question.

"Aren't you Gazelle, the singer from a while back?" She shook her head, hoping her long flat hair would be enough to fool him and she can be on her way. "Yeah, it's totally you! You are so amazing!" Gazelle turned to leave but he had stopped her. "Hey, if it's not too much to ask, can I have an autograph?" It wasn't a typical thing people asked anymore, maybe enough time had passed where the spiteful ones moved on to hate something else. She felt flattered, so she smiled and nodded anyway. She pulled her notepad from her purse and whipped her name out on a page. She tore it out but was pushed down by the antelope, and she hardly knew what hit her as her new tubes of paint scattered across the concrete. She fell back on the sidewalk with a thump and quickly tried to get up, but was shocked when coffee had been poured on her shirt. The blistering heat of it stung for a brief moment and she squeaked sharply, rapidly trying to wipe it off. The antelope snapped a photo with his phone and walked away, prideful he got to take a shot at the former pop star. She rubbed off as much coffee as she could, and looked at her ruined shirt, and she liked that shirt. She sighed, gathering her thoughts and dropped items along the sidewalk as people chuckled at her embarrassing predicament.

"Here, let me." An exotically accented voice came and a paw was held out for her. She didn't see who was helping her up from the sidewalk but when she had touched the paw, she had connected with the source of her fear. She widened her eyes upon one of her tiger backup dancers, this one was Anuj. She could always tell them apart, though the four identical brothers were never apart themselves, it was odd to see him alone. She took her paw back and helped herself up. She paced a step back from the large dancer, and seen that he had never lost his theatric flair. He was still wearing some makeup, and his eyes were trimmed with eyeliner. She thought the four brothers would return home to Bengaldesh by now without any work, but perhaps they had found something, somewhere. The large tiger bent down and retrieved the tubes of paint for her, placing them in the bag and giving it nicely back to her. "My apologies, Gaz. It's been so long, I hope you are doing well." She shook her head and took back the bag from him, she wanted to leave but he kept engaging her. "My brothers and I work for a furniture moving company now. It's back-breaking work but it pays ok… is everything alright? I see you've been splashed. That's a shame, there's a group on Twitter called 'Drinks On Me' where people throw drinks on celebrities and share pictures of it, it's rather entertaining." She didn't think so and shook her head again, still frightful of him even though anyone passing by would just think this encounter was two friends talking idly. She quickly explained by tapping the scar at the base of her neck and letting out a broken note, Anuj understood. She couldn't tell if he pitied her, or resented her. "No voice? That's a shame. Perhaps it's karma?" He had it backwards. She lost her voice before the record company destroyed her image and her life. There was no good way of explaining this and she excused herself to go home.

She walked with haste to Clawhauser's apartment. She continued to feel fear at the back of her neck, and she refrained from looking around too much to expose her paranoia after she nearly collided with a giraffe walking by. She felt a looming dread upon her the whole way home like prey being stalked, and even when she was safe behind the locked door of her home, she still could sense him. She opened the window in the living room and stuck her long neck out to look around. She saw the end of a tiger's tail escape her sight around the corner of the next street over, but it could've been any tiger, they were plentiful throughout Zootopia. The fear subsided, and with a deep sigh, she let the feeling go as much as she could. She couldn't begin to understand how she was sensing things, the feelings came from a place within her instinctual being, and they were becoming too powerful to ignore. A gift wouldn't be a term she would call it, and certainly not a blessing.

Momentary panic aside, she turned to what she did call a gift, and looked upon the blank canvas resting on her easel in the center of the living room. Gazelle weaved around the stacks of wedding gifts they had received from friends and family. A new toaster, microwave, a fancy waffle iron, pillows, sheets, silverware, it went on and she didn't know what to do with most of it. Though she liked the idea of the waffle iron, that was the thing that made the marriage seem most official. Retrieving her pencils from a case that got buried beneath the gifts, she returned to the canvas and envisioned a wonderful painting of herself and her Benjamin holding hands sweetly. This was an idea for a sweet wedding gift to him, and she knew he would cherish it forever, she simply needed to paint it first. She took her pencil and began sketching, stylistically imposing her idea as a gesture upon the barren surface. She knew every curve and every spot of him well, and she marked it down as a guide for her paint brush. She drew herself, never before needing to examine herself with such precision, she looked in a mirror a studious number of times, and charted her own features to the surface of the canvas. Pleased with her guidelines, she took out the newly purchased paints to begin. She searched the bottom of the bag for the last tube but it wasn't there. The tube of yellow paint must have been lost when that stupid ex-fan knocked her down, and she needed it. Yellow was an important color for the both of them, and without it, there would be little progress. She didn't let that stop her, though, she searched through her bin of paints and found a rich cerulean blue, and decided that this piece would be purposefully discolored, she thought to even call it 'The Cheetah and Gazelle in Blue'. She mixed several values of the one color on her pallet with a knife then loaded her brush with the deep pigment, and as her brush touched the canvas just above Clawhauser's head, she felt her senses trip again. This time, it was an overwhelming sense of loss, and she was familiar with its source, it was from Clawhauser.

"I'm baaaaaaack!" Clawhauser announced dramatically with his arms out wide as he hopped his way through the turnstile door into the lobby of ZPD. He had just dropped Gazelle off at the coffee shop and art store a few minutes ago, and he was still on time for his shift. He still had his arms out as no one greeted him. In fact, no one was there at all, it was a ghost town. "Are we closed today or something?" He said to himself, still no one was around to comment. "Hellooooooo?" He called out loudly. He listened for a moment and heard chief Bogo yelling from the bullpen. At least he found someone who could explain the lack of personnel.

Clawhauser poked his head in through the door of the bullpen, and to his surprise, it was very overcrowded. He didn't know who some of the officers were, or where they had come from, and there were a lot of officers from the night shift, and as well, he recognized extra officers from other precincts. He entered and found there was little room left for him in the bustling busy bullpen. Bogo's commanding voice rang out.

"Wolford!"

"I'm fine!" He barked back at the chief.

"No, you're not! You just finished a triple shift! Now go home and get some rest!"

"I said, I am FINE!" He screamed. Clawhauser took a good look at the wolf, and he was far from fine. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, his fur disheveled and his eyes worn and strained. Bogo finished this little squabble the best he could.

"Delgato, you and your partner take the day off. Go home and rest up. I need his keen nose on this one, I need everyone at their best." Delgato stood up and looked peeved himself.

"But I just got here fifteen minutes ago!" Bogo had fatigue in his own eyes, and it was beginning to show on his face. There was no telling how many shifts the chief had worked.

"I don't care, take Wolford home, babysit him if you have to, that's an order." Delgato put his paw on Wolford's shoulder and the exhausted dog shrugged it off as he stood to leave, and Delgato followed. "Speaking of which," Bogo said to everyone. "Anyone else here who is on their third, or more, shift in a row, go home and rest." A dozen of the officers stood up, and they all sleepily left the room, some pulling their partners with them as they didn't want to leave. Bogo turned and posted two photographs up on the map.

Judy and Nick.

Clawhauser understood now, his heart plummeted to the floor, and couldn't believe it. He stood like a statue as the remaining exhausted officers exited by, walking around him like water around a stone in a river. Bogo noticed him and looked down at his podium.

"Welcome back, Clawhauser." The remaining officers looked at him, and there was no happiness for his honeymoon, his recent marriage, but he understood why now. He seated himself and waited quietly for Bogo to update everyone.

"Judy, Nick, and Bellwether have been missing, going on day ten. Nick may be gravely injured or worse, Judy is still missing and Bellwether is still at large. Last known whereabouts was the penitentiary highway, mile eighty-five. Fangmeyer has been apprehended but has not been forthcoming with any information. We're still looking everywhere we can for them…" Clawhauser's phone buzzed. He waited until Bogo had paused to check it, and he found it was from Gazelle.

"What just happened?" Somehow she knew something was going on, the news was ground-shaking enough, he wasn't surprised. He quickly texted back.

"Nick and Judy are missing." He sent the message on and stowed his phone away in his pocket. Bogo assigned the teams to different districts and locations, and before the last of them could leave, he spoke to Clawhauser.

"I'm glad you're back from your honeymoon, I have a special assignment for you." Clawhauser was confused already about it.

"Whatever it is, chief-" Bogo flopped a case file before him on the table. It was dated, old, and had been created long before his time. He opened and read who the working officers were. To his surprise, they were Clawhauser and Bogo. "Chief, this is one of my dad's files." The chief nodded.

"Indeed it is." He pointed to the report, and a few key lines were highlighted in yellow marker. "Says here your father worked with Piberius Wilde, Nick's father." Clawhauser agreed, he knew the stories.

"Yeah, I remember, this must've been when you caught the guy that kidnapped all those children. He got his name on the wall… he got my name..." Bogo nodded, and Clawhauser caught on. "You want me to look into Happy Town?"

"That's right. One of the few places we haven't been able to look at." Clawhauser stood up and gave the file back.

"I might need backup, chief. They don't take kindly to law enforcement." Bogo sighed.

"This is a lot to ask, I know, but you have to go solo. I'm aware you haven't had much work in the field, so I hope the foxes will be… friendly for you. I'm glad you're wearing your father's coat, some of the foxes will recognize it." Clawhauser still had his father's stunner on his belt too, and he knew how to use it well, but Bogo didn't know about it. It gave him the confidence to accept the assignment.

"I won't let you down, chief." Bogo slipped him a spare photo of Nick and he set it into his pocket. Clawhauser adjusted his coat and stepped out to start the job when his phone buzzed with another message from Gazelle.

"I want to help." It read. Clawhauser was suspicious how she knew what was happening, but any help he could get would be greatly welcomed.

Clawhauser stood and stared at the demeaning banter painted across the section of Happy Town's protective wall. It was once just a checkpoint but something must have caused the foxes to increase security. He wasn't sure how to get access until he saw the heavily bolted door with the large number four above it. He approached and knocked, hoping he wouldn't be turned away immediately. The window in slid open and the brown-haired fox answered.

"Hey bruh, no access today, sorry." Clawhauser came up close to the window and pulled the photograph from his pocket.

"Have you seen this fox?" He let the fox look at the picture for a moment.

"That's Nick. I haven't seen him since that awesome wedding with all of the free food."

"That was my wedding." Clawhauser reminded the air-headed fox.

"Oh, right on, you look totally different in that coat. Anyway, if you're looking for Nick, talk to his friend, Finnick. He hangs out at Nick's pad." The window slid closed and Clawhauser stood for a moment to think, he didn't have much of a lead but he had to keep following the trail. He wished he could get inside Happy Town right now, but it's not like he could jump a fifteen-foot makeshift wall. It was possible Nick wasn't here at all, it was more about being thorough than being effective at this point, start eliminating possibilities. Ten days was too long to be missing, and the possibility of an injury made time short and the situation dire.

Clawhauser knocked at the door to Nick's apartment. After a moment, Finnick peeked through, the door only cracked open enough for him to see who had knocked.

"Hi Finnick, got a moment?" Finnick hesitated, and replied angrily.

"What do you want?"

"I'm searching for Nick. Have you seen him?" Clawhauser was hoping for something more than a no, but alas that's all he got from the little fennec.

"He's not here, and I don't know where he is. If he turns up, I'd be the first to know about it and you'd be the second. Now beat it!" The door slammed shut and Clawhauser knocked again, yelling through the door.

"Can you help me get into Happy Town!?" The door cracked open again. Finnick looked at him for a moment then opened the door for him to enter. Clawhauser noticed as Finnick walked back to the couch that he was wearing a little elephant costume. He slumped into the couch and Clawhauser quietly closed the door.

The apartment was dark, messy, dismal, and the blinds had been drawn to keep out all sunlight. The only light was the glow of the television, paused in the middle of the movie 'My Big Fat Elephant Wedding'. He recognized the scene, it was the one where the mouse guy meets the elephant girl and the awkwardly sweet encounter leads to a date. The movie stayed paused on the mouse's face as he looked into the large loving eyes of the elephant, and Clawhauser remained standing as he spoke.

"So, how can I get access to Happy Town?" Clawhauser asked. Finnick sighed heavily and rolled his eyes at him.

"You can't, at least not right now. The whole place is locked down tight." Clawhauser took a breath and was interrupted. "And I don't know why, either. I'm locked out too and can't get in unless I jump the wall somehow." Clawhauser needed something to work with, and started asking standard questions.

"When was the last time you seen Nick?"

"Before your wedding, he got dressed here then left to pick up Judy. I've been here since, waiting for him to come back, I hope he isn't hurt too bad…" That phrase may have been a slip, and Clawhauser thought he might know something. He sat down on the couch next to Finnick and calmly spoke.

"If you know something, please tell me." Finnick looked at him and shook his head.

"The only thing on the fox network is that we know he's been hurt. We don't know where he is, no one is coming forward. I know you, Clawhauser, you're a good one, and I at least know which side you're on. It's too dangerous to assume anything." It never occurred to him that there might be different sides to the situation. It was possible that if Bellwether is at large, there might be a bounty on her head, everyone would be looking for her. Clawhauser figured that Judy and Nick were involved somehow.

"What's Nick and Judy's involvement with Bellwether?" The question struck Finnick, not sure how much he could divulge. Thinking of his previous statement, he decided trust Clawhauser, hoping he wouldn't use the information for foul play.

"Judy has sympathy for Bellwether. They sent each other letters, so if you can find those, you might have a better clue what's really going on, there's more to the story than we know. Everyone knows something happened when Bellwether was transferring to a safer prison, which involved Nick. That's all I have so if you'll excuse me, I would like to get back to my movie, my grief, and my identity crisis." He pulled the hood of the elephant costume over his head and gave him a toot. He unpaused the movie and the rest of the love scene played out. Finnick was alone, lonely, and suffering a tragic case of Pacadermeopathy.

Then Clawhauser had an idea. "Is there anyone special in your life?" Finnick rolled the hood back and snapped.

"What do you think!?" Clawhauser held his palms up to signal he meant no harm by the statement.

"Just making sure! I know someone that you should meet. A fellow officer on the force, Francine Pennington, she's an elephant too." Clawhauser was hoping that playing matchmaker would earn him a favor. Finnick's hard exterior softened as Clawhauser acknowledged his identity problem without judgment, and had become a little bashful with the idea.

"Gee pal, I don't know if I could afford to take anyone to a fancy dinner… she'd think I'm some kind of a schmuck." Clawhauser chuckled, he had her all wrong.

"Nah, she wouldn't like that, she's more playful! Grab a roll of quarters and take her to an arcade, have some real fun. She caught the bouquet at my wedding so love has been on her mind." Finnick stared at him in surprise as the fluffy cheetah smiled back, he was serious and Finnick had been made hopeful, but still doubtful.

"What if she says no?"

"What if she says yes?" Clawhauser took away his doubt and pulled out his police radio from his belt. "Francine, got your ears on?" There was a moment before she responded.

"Go ahead, Clawhauser."

"How soon can you get to Lupus Heights?" He asked. Finnick leaped off the couch and scrambled to get properly dressed.

"About ten minutes."

"Great, I got a friend of Nick's that needs your help." Clawhauser officially got the ball rolling and there was no going back. Finnick was pulling his shirt over his head as he stumbled around. He fell down as he was pulling his pants on.

"You're a jerk, you know that?"

"You probably have closer to seven minutes, she's a lead foot." Finnick was all smiles as he came out of the room and slicked his fur back.

"I owe you big for this, pal!"

"I have two favors to ask, though. The Bellwether letters, and if you find out anything from Happy Town or any of his other friends, let me know." Finnick thought for a second and remembered.

"Nick made a copy of Judy's room key, but it's on his car keys." Clawhauser asked on his radio.

"Has anyone checked out Hopps' apartment?" After a moment, chief Bogo replied.

"No one home as seen through the window. Did not enter, no need to." Bogo told him over the radio. Clawhauser asked his next question.

"Where's Nick's squad car?"

"Unaccounted for at this time." It was his mission now to locate the car, but without a clue, he had nothing. He turned to the door and Finnick followed.

"I gotta find his car, Francine can help you over the wall so if you find anything-"

"You'll be the second to know." That put a smile on the cheetah's face as they exited the apartment.

Francine came as Clawhauser and Finnick came out the front entrance of the apartment building. The door opened for Finnick and he scaled the enormous police car to sit in the passenger seat. Clawhauser pushed the door closed and they were off to find what they could from within the walls of Happy Town. Clawhauser thought intensely on his next move while he walked to his own cruiser. Climbing in, he sat silently thinking, and it seemed he had hit a dead end until his phone buzzed. It was another message from Gazelle. Taking his phone from his pocket, he read.

"Where's Wild Times?" It was strange, and before he could reply, another message popped up. "Look there."

He rolled up to the doors of his previous target practice grounds. The wooden pallet still leaned against the abandoned warehouse where he had laid it, and even the bottles he had missed never moved. The paint had washed away in the rains but he was sure that the targets he painted inside the building were still as he left them. There was no lock on the door, and with a hard pull, the doors opened to show the forgotten amusement park in the light of day. He didn't need to look for long, a large tarp was draped over what appeared to be a car, and it certainly wasn't there last time he was here. With a yank at the corner of the tarp, he pulled the dusty covering away, exposing Nick's squad car. He knew there could be evidence inside so he opened the door with the sleeve of his coat. Studying the fur left on the driver's seat, he found that both a gray rabbit and an orange fox had driven the car. He carefully observed the passenger seat, finding white wool. He had made a marvelous discovery and radioed it to the chief.

"Chief Bogo, I've found Nick's car. It's in an abandoned warehouse west of the bridge." There was a pause and Clawhauser saw the keys were still there.

"Excellent work! Sending a recovery team to retrieve it now. I'll be there myself in a few minutes." Clawhauser ignored the response and pulled the keys from the ignition. He searched through the few on the ring and found a key on the little carrot keychain, it was likely the one. He pulled it off and placed it in his pocket quickly and returned the key to the ignition. He had more than what he had come for, and stepped outside to his own car. He wanted to keep following the leads but he stopped to think before Bogo had arrived. He was really wondering where Gazelle was getting her intel, and decided to message her about it.

"How'd you know about Wild Times?" He asked, and a reply came quickly.

"I'm not sure. It just came to me." He couldn't comprehend how far-fetched it all seemed. He saw the bottles and cans still stacked from his day of target practice, and once he had figured out his ability, it bloomed until it was a natural part him. Considering an extreme possibility, he thought she could have evolved instincts, but this all sounded like comic book superhero stuff to him. Still, he asked.

"Are you psychic? Because that'd be so awesome!" He wrote to her. A message came back and it wasn't what he was expecting.

"I really don't know, Ben. It scares me." He didn't want to worry her anymore about it. In time maybe things will be explained but he had a huge job ahead of him, and time wasn't stopping for anyone. Still, thoughts of her as a police-psychic or a psychic detective were sparking his imagination.

Bogo's cruiser came with flashing lights across the field and stopped beside his car. Bogo exited and looked inside the warehouse.

"We will get this back to the station and I'll have Snarlof personally check it out. If we can find a clue, it would be a miracle. A tow truck is a few minutes away still." Bogo checked his phone as Clawhauser got in his own car.

"Chief, I'm hot on the trail so I'm gonna get a move on."

"Go! I got this, keep up the good work."

Judy's apartment was dark, dismal, dusty, and most of all, tiny. Clawhauser could barely fit inside the bunny's home, though for Judy, it was… probably still tiny. He opened the curtain wider for more light and observed her belongings. Greasy walls, rickety bed, a line of uniforms, her desk, a microwave, not much to live on.

"No wonder she spends all her time at the office." He muttered. He searched the papers on the desk first, finding no significant stacks that could be the letters. He focused on what they would look like, loose leaf pages, written by paw, yellow or some other color. He saw nothing of the sort among the bills and scraps of mail. He looked beneath her bed and found a cardboard box with a cover on it, he opened it and right on top was a large stack of the letters.

He sighed in relief, lifting the box with him to the bed, and searching a level deeper. He saw old photos of Judy and her family, keepsakes, mementos, and dozens of pictures of her and Nick. Most of them were selfies of themselves, and they both were so happy together. Clawhauser gathered that she might've been using the printer at the precinct to print the pictures and store them. He found it peculiar that these things belonged up on the walls, but she chose to hide them. It felt like a reflection of their relationship. All of the other officers didn't notice, but Clawhauser saw the signs. There was more to their chemistry than law enforcement partners. It burdened him to think that Judy and Nick could be gone, or worse, one of them alive without the other. They had been together since her second day on the force, and they've been inseparable ever since. He couldn't think of the terrifying possibilities and needed to stay focused on the facts of the case. He had to read the letters, he knew he could learn something from them, some insight that might lead him to their safe return. He was still hoping Finnick and Francine were able to further investigate Nick's connections and someone would say something that would help crack the case. He began to read the long letter from Bellwether.

On and on the letter went, detailing her plight-filled childhood, and by the time he laid the last page face down on the stack, his mind reeled back to the quiet little room, and he needed a moment to process the information. He breathed a heavy sigh. He now understood why Judy was sympathetic with Bellwether, because anyone can be anything. Those words changed millions. He needed more information, and needed to return to ZPD to get it.

There was a knock at the chief's office door.

"Yes?" He answered and Clawhauser opened the door and closed it behind him. "Clawhauser, what did you find?"

"Chief, what is Judy's affiliation with Bellwether?" Bogo stopped what he was doing and gestured to the chair for him to sit. Clawhauser came up to the desk and sat as he began to explain.

"Judy got it in her mind that Bellwether deserves a second chance, because once upon a time, she did one nice thing and blah blah whatever." Clawhauser was peeved with the flippant tone.

"I just read every letter Judy ever received from Bellwether, and I know about the transfer case with Silvia Fawkes… I agree with Judy." This caught the chief off guard completely and Clawhauser continued. "I trust Judy impeccably, and Bellwether's plan to topple the city's social structure, all she did was amplify what already existed! I keep the records around here, I have read every single one, and guess how many predator-prey crimes there has been in the last year?" He urged Bogo to answer and the chief just shrugged, he really didn't know. Clawhauser stood up. "Zero. She fixed that entire aspect of the city. Predators and preys are playing together in the streets. Anyone still aggressive or prideful is focused on Bellwether, she gave everyone a singular person to hate, she martyred her whole life. She invented 'anyone can be anything' when she wrote Lionheart's speech. She made it so there will always be more Judies and Nicks. Above all, I hope there will be more Bellwethers because someone needs to show the world how broken it really is, someone to show us that we need to evolve." Bogo was speechless. Clawhauser turned and went to leave the chief alone in his office. As the door hung open, Clawhauser spoke one last time. "If I find Bellwether, I will not arrest her." He let the door swing shut on the stunned chief and as he thought about the next step, it came to him in the form of a message. He looked at his phone and thought it was from Gazelle, but it was from Snarlof. He wanted to see him in the garage privately.

The garage was filled with scattered tools, oil, parts, it was the typical creative chaos Snarlof usually kept. The polar bear was wiping his paws off on a rag and leaned against the bench next to Nick's car. The doors were open and wires ran from its console to a computer with diagnostics lined across it. Snarlof pointed to something on the computer when he came in.

"Clawhauser, check this out." He said and turned to the computer.

"What'cha got?" He asked, and Snarlof sighed, taking a breath before he delivered potentially heavy news, and Clawhauser knew this couldn't be good. The only good thing would be if it helped track down Nick.

"This car traveled over 500 miles the day Nick went missing."

"Where did it go?" Snarlof shook his head and shrugged hesitantly.

"Not so much where they went, but what they were running from." Snarlof held up a pair of headphones and Clawhauser took one of the speakers and held it to an ear. Snarlof tapped the keyboard and a video started playing, it was the footage from the dash-cam from when the incident happened.

"Judy…" There was a long pause. Nick had pulled the car over on a dirt road. "... I love you." Then he exited the vehicle. There was some talk, and the screams of Bellwether. The camera picked up the sound of the entire event, Fangmeyer's rage, his accidental stabbing, and his escape with Nick in the other car. The part that sent a cold shiver down his spine was when he heard Fangmeyer say Bogo was in on it. His loyalty to the chief had been rock steady, but now he was beginning to wonder why, for any reason, he would be a part of such a heinous plot.

"Have you shown this to Bogo?" Snarlof's eyes widened and he had a skeptical look on his face.

"Not yet, wanted you to see it first." Snarlof clicked the fast forward button to advance the film by twenty minutes. He stopped at a specific timecode and let the video play again. He heard Judy talk to Bogo, and him saying he was trying to prevent the incident from happening. Clawhauser didn't believe him, he would ask that himself when he was done here. On the video, there was a conflict, followed by Judy and Bellwether getting into the car. They drove north and began to talk about their escape plan, and he heard where they were going, Olannglas. Silence filled the video aside from the drone of the car on the highway, then Judy exclaimed.

"Shoot! Nick has a dash-cam!" There was a loud click and that was the end of the video. Snarlof stopped it as he took back the headset.

"Clawhauser, I can't find Olannglas on a map anywhere. Heard you've been finding clues all day, so does any of this mean anything to you?" The name was from the letters, and within them told of this village's location. Clawhauser knew for sure now.

"I know where they are", he said with an anger in his eyes.

"Clawhauser?" Snarlof said, "Hey, don't go do anything stupid!" He was beyond reason, he wanted answers from the chief whether he was innocent or not.

Bogo was heading for the front door with a file in his paw and his glasses on his nose when Clawhauser cut him off with his whole body.

"Chief!" The angry cheetah confronted. Bogo tried to sidestep Clawhauser but wasn't allowed to pass.

"Clawhauser, I'm very busy right now, what is this about?"

"You were in on it! You knew!" He shouted in the hall, and it got the attention of every officer present. Bogo could feel the eyes upon him and tried to reason with Clawhauser.

"I knew something was going to happen, I was in on the case as a double agent! I ordered Nick AND Judy to take care of it, and Nick did the transfer by himself! I tried to prevent all of this! Your wedding occupied too many of our officers and there was no backup." Clawhauser shoved Bogo back a few steps, his anger rising higher for the buffalo that was literally twice his size.

"Don't you dare blame my wedding! Why didn't you do it yourself!"

"I should have! But once I was free of my duties here, I wanted to personally deliver Gazelle's wedding gift!" He exhaled harshly, and got angry. "Your father was my mentor. How could I miss my his son's wedding? I looked after you for all these years, I had to see if you had finally grown up!" Clawhauser shoved Bogo again, and again quickly. This time, he stumbled back and fell against the front of Clawhauser's desk. Bogo reached for his stunner, Clawhauser anticipated it and had drawn his own stunner cheetah-fast, Chase Clawhauser-fast. The Songbird was no more than four feet away from the center of Bogo's face, the weapon was live, and its electrodes bright with lightning. Bogo knew that stunner well, and took his paw slowly off of his own. Clawhauser meant serious business.

"Is there anything else I should know?" He spat out through grated fangs. Bogo looked with fear down that barrel, then to Clawhauser.

"It's about time you started honoring your father." That comment was a spear through his heart and Bogo meant it as such. Clawhauser already knew he was a disappointment, a joke, and he didn't need to be reminded. He replied with the only thing he had as an advantage over the chief, besides his weapon.

"I know where Judy and Bellwether are." He said it and the department froze in time. Bogo stood slowly from the floor and dusted himself off, and Clawhauser lowered and holstered his weapon.

"Where are they?" He asked with a glare from his eyes.

"I can't tell you, I can't trust you. I will go to them so I can protect them until this gets figured out. If you ever catch up, I will be there to stop you." Bogo approached and Clawhauser put his paw on the butt of his weapon. Bogo was foolish to think he had any power over him, but he demanded anyway.

"Tell me where they are, that's an order!" Clawhauser impulsively detached his badges from his uniform, and dropped it on the floor. It clinked and rang across the large hall, and some of the officers watching muttered among themselves. It was unbelievable that Clawhauser would put his career on the line to protect and serve. He knew Silvia had, and even remembered Judy once staked her dream for Mr. Otterton. The choice had gone from impulse to an act of revolution, and nothing would change if nothing changed. The scene was interrupted by a distress call on all frequencies across every radio in the department.

"Attention all units, there's a fire emergency at an apartment on 4878 Ocelot." Clawhauser froze, that was his own address, then pure terror filled him.

"Gazelle!"

There was no disruption like the feeling of fear crawling back. She had thought about Clawhauser all day, and she stayed connected with him through his image in her painting. Her phone was charging in the kitchen and she kept an ear out for a chime from her Clawhauser, never minding the interruption from her painting. The Cheetah and Gazelle in Blue was nearly finished, but she was too afraid to keep working, and her steady paw shook too much from the looming presence. She knew its source this time, and the tiger that she was once affiliated with through the record company had returned. This time, it was more, he could've brought his brothers with him. She thought that Lakshman and Jasvinder would be angry at her like Anuj, but she didn't know if Jitendra was aggressive enough. She felt them all approaching and now knew that all four brothers were present. She dropped her paintbrush and panicked. She didn't know what to do as the doorknob rattled. Terror filled her, they were right outside her door and she was trapped in the apartment. She immediately retreated into the bedroom and reached into the top drawer of the dresser by the bed to grab a stunner Clawhauser kept at home. She shook as she held onto it, and though she had a weapon that could subdue a tiger, she couldn't possibly take on all four. She needed to hide and she chose the closet, hoping they wouldn't look for her there. She pulled the closet door open and ducked inside as the front door was kicked in. Anuj was the first to enter.

"Hey Gaz, are you here?" She had heard him say but she didn't dare make a sound, not that she could. Lakshman entered next, followed by the other two brothers.

"Looks like no one is home." Lakshman was inspecting the boxes of stuff and the wedding gifts. Jasvinder pointed out the obvious.

"Brothers, I think she just married? Look at all of this stuff!" Gazelle was petrified with fear, she hoped and wished that they would just leave. Anuj stepped up to the easel with the blue painting on it, saw how happy the newlyweds were and it angered him deeply. He felt she needed to pay for ruining the careers they so passionately enjoyed. He yelled out and threw the easel and painting aside against the bookshelf. It startled Gazelle from within the dark closet, she clutched at the stunner, trying to seek comfort from the lit up electrodes on its end. Lakshman laughed and picked up the box with the microwave, and crashed it down to the floor to break it into a useless chunk of metal and glass. That was accompanied by Jasvinder throwing a box of fine dishes against the wall as Anuj ran his claws to shred the couch. Gazelle heard it all and wept for the loss of the gifts from their friends and family. She could hear them break everything and it crushed her heart. If she had known she would bring such destruction to Clawhauser's home, she would've never followed him here the night they met at the convenience store. Jitendra hadn't participated in the destruction, but instead looked to take the waffle iron for himself. Anuj moved into the bedroom, yanked the lamp atop a desk from the wall and hurled it into the large mirror. It shattered into a thousand shards as he ripped the bed apart, shredding the warm blankets Gazelle loved, and clawing the mattress that held them both as they held each other. Lakshman threw the dresser over, tipping it in front of the closet door with a booming thunk. Gazelle squeaked with fright once, ready to use the stunner but the door never opened. Anuj thought he heard something when Jasvinder chuckled as he finished destroying the kitchen.

"Much more fun breaking furniture than moving it!" They laughed, except Jitendra. He stood in the doorway to the bedroom and picked up a framed picture that had come from the top of the dresser. He saw a happy Gazelle, and officer Clawhauser in uniform at her loving side.

"Brothers!" He yelled out. "Stop what you're doing, she married a police officer!" They halted and looked at each other. If they were caught, they would be imprisoned for a very long time for sure. Jitendra sat the waffle iron down gently, treating it like a cursed object and backed out. "C'mon, let's get out of here!" Lakshman and Jasvinder followed him out, but Anuj lingered. He walked out to the living room, stepping through the destruction around his feet, he took one look at the carnage, and pulled a matchbook from his pocket. He didn't care who else lived there, he wanted to burn her life away. He struck a match with a claw and set the book of matches aflame, then threw them all into the flammable inner stuffing of the couch. He stood until he saw the fire grow strong, and then left to join his brothers in the hall to escape.

The silence that followed was maddening. She hid in the closet, shaking with fear until she felt them go away far enough to know they weren't coming back. Her tears had been running down her face, but she let go and huffed with grief. She didn't want to look outside her safe closet, she didn't want to see the damage that had been brought upon her sweet cheetah's home. She huddled in the closet crying, frantically trying to think of how to explain it all to Clawhauser. She feared he would hate her, kick her out, leave her forever. She disengaged the stunner, letting herself sit in the darkness, feeling things couldn't get any worse, then she smelled smoke. She didn't believe it at first, but it was definitely smoke. She pushed against the door and it wouldn't budge, threw her weight at it and it didn't give. She was trapped in a closet with a fire on the other side, no way to call for help. She could begin to feel the heat and the smoke was becoming thicker. She wedged herself to kick with her hooves, the door had opened an inch but more of the smoke billowed in. The air inside the closet was now oppressive, and she was choking on it. She pounded on the door and hoped someone, anyone, would have reported the fire and help was already there, or at least on its way. She kept banging her fists against the door, the heat was growing with intensity, and the oxygen was impure, and the smoke stinging her eyes. Gazelle had nearly given up when the door flew open. She was exposed to the inferno for a second before a firefighter, a courageous hippo, had covered her with a fire blanket. She was torn from the closet and carried through the oven into the hall, out to the street where it was safe, and into the cool afternoon air.

Lights flashed everywhere as Clawhauser skid his own car to a stop in the road. Yellow tape had cordoned off the street, beyond it was a fire truck and some ambulances. Occupants of the building were evacuated and people lined the sidewalks as the fire crew drowned the smoldering apartment with a hose from atop the ladder. The flames were extinguished and all that remained was their soaking wet charred belongings. All that they had was gone.

Clawhauser shoved his way through, and his badgeless uniform granted him enough access to get near the scene. His whole world slowed and sounds were hollow as he found her, sitting with a paramedic breathing fresh air from a mask, covered in a warm blanket to keep her from the bite of the autumn day. Clawhauser collapsed into her as she sat on the curb, both sobbing over each other and the disaster that was in their paws.

"I didn't know if you were ok! I was afraid you were… were…" He couldn't finish the thought, he didn't even want to put it out into the world, he was grateful beyond compare that she was alright. The paramedic gave them space and commented,"She's ok, she's a strong one."

Gazelle was happy to see her Clawhauser, but also feared that she would have to explain to him why this happened. Officer McHorn was commanding the scene, he approached the sobbing Gazelle to find out what happened. "The fire started in your apartment unit, can you tell us what happened?"

She flipped the loose strands of her hair off of her face then made a writing gesture with her paw to Clawhauser. He gave her his pen and police notepad, and she wrote out some information on it. She listed the names of her ex-dance team tigers and wrote 'vandalism, arson' as well. She ripped off the page and gave it to McHorn. He read it and a light bulb clicked on in his head. "Ah, that explains why everything is also smashed." He took the note to put out a warrant for their arrest. It was the most she could do to achieve justice for the incomprehensible damage they caused. She thought about what they had lost, first coming to mind was her gift to Clawhauser, her blue painting. Although she could start again, it still hurt to invest the time into it only to lose it all. She was in denial that they had lost everything. She couldn't comprehend it. Then it occurred to her that the old photos they had of their parents had been in there, and between the fire and water, she lost all hope of seeing her mother's face again. She wrote on a new page as her tears dropped down on it, and showed the note to Clawhauser. He read it while she hid her head in shame beneath the thick blanket, hid herself from him, hid herself away from the world.

"I ruined everything, please don't leave me." Clawhauser hugged her tight as she cried.

"I would never." He told her trying to catch a glimpse of her eyes. "Look at me..." He said. She kept turning away from him until he stopped trying, understanding how hurt she was. He took her paw, and wrapped one of her fingers around one of his. He didn't know what to say, if anything could be said. After a moment, she understood his promise, and gripped a finger in return. She wiped a tear from her cheek then wrote a new note for him.

"Photos are gone." It said, and it was true, Clawhauser knew what she was talking about, and tried to comfort her.

"I know, Darling, but my mama has copies of them all in a bunch of albums…" He stopped to realize that she only had the one old photo that her papá had given her, it was the only photo they had of her family when they were all together, and photography was a luxury in her former country most didn't have. She mourned the loss of it, and she wept so deeply it scared him. She hadn't cried like this since the night she came home with him, and he never imagined he would see her like this ever again.

Clawhauser reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a yellow envelope and opened it.

"Gazelle," He shook her shoulder trying to get her attention. "Gazelle, look." She did through tear soaked eyes while he pulled her old photo from the envelope, it had survived. "I was going to go to a specialist to have it restored, but today has been the craziest day ever. It was going to be my wedding gift to you." Her heart flipped. She was so filled with gratitude for him that she burst into more tears and threw herself into his arms, kissing him furiously and couldn't contain how much she loved him. His gift was the sweetest gift in the world.

The scene was beginning to cool down. Gazelle remained sitting, staring at the tiny minute cracks and crevices of the pavement between her hooves. Clawhauser was talking with the emergency personnel about the process to recover from this insurmountable loss. He didn't know how many officers would be available to apprehend the four tiger brothers, he knew Nick was a priority concern, but surely someone would bring them in and justice would be served promptly. It didn't feel like it would've been enough, but it was something. Clawhauser declined an offer for coffee and Gazelle accepted a cup graciously, though she more or less accepted it because it was warm. He sat down next to her as she held the cup in her cold paws.

"Darling, there's not much for us to do here. The clean up crew has to do their thing and we can meet with the insurance company any time. Unfortunately, I need to leave town to find Judy and Bellwether, I found out where they are, I have to go." Gazelle nodded and tried sipping the steaming coffee. After a swallow, she wrote on the notepad.

"Take me with you." Clawhauser read, and after a brief moment of consideration, he agreed to it with a nod. She didn't want to be alone.

The drive north was long, and they were losing daylight on one of the longest days they've had in their lives. The scenery and flora had become more alpine as they drove into a naturally colder environment, and they were both feeling out of place coming from Savanna Central. After a couple of quiet hours and nearing their destination, Clawhauser broke the silence.

"I quit the force today." The words came as a shock to Gazelle. The look on her face spoke for her, she was asking why. "Bogo handled Bellwether's transfer to a safer facility poorly, and it caused Nick to get hurt and go missing. I found where Judy took her from a letter written from prison and the dash-cam of Nick's cruiser. I couldn't trust anyone with the information… Bellwether is… a complicated case. She really stirs up a lot of change, and she could make the world a better place if her mind was set on the right path. She's tried to fill the hole in her heart with power and vengeance, and we all know how that worked out. I wonder what it'll take for her find peace?" Gazelle jotted something down, perhaps she knew.

"Love?" Phrased as a question, it was no answer. Clawhauser sighed and shook his head.

"Who would? Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE hates her. There's only a paw's worth of mammals that understand, and we're doing our best." She didn't understand. Gazelle remembered the riots she caused, and how she stood on the lines with the predators and shouted for peace, trying to restore the city to the Zootopia she loved. That sentiment was fleeting, it was more the Zootopia where she only existed now, and the level of unfairness she experienced paled in comparison to the mistreatment Bellwether was receiving, she was sure of that. It was an odd thing to have in common with the little sheep. Not everyone got along, that's to be expected, but the mammals of the city sure did love their hate, and fear always worked.

They drove over a hill and came to a clear field, and in the field was an airstrip, right where Clawhauser knew it would be.

"Ah, jackpot." He announced and made the turn to enter the complex. There didn't seem to be any activity, but Clawhauser spotted a ram working in an open aircraft hangar. He parked his car and the ram acknowledged his arrival with a wave. He sat a case down next to a small single propeller plane and walked to introduce himself to his guests. Before exiting the car, Clawhauser laid out the plan.

"We need him to take us to Bellwether, so let me do all the talking." Gazelle huffed at him and nudged his shoulder, shooting him a smirk sideways. They got out and the northern air nipped at their nose, and the cold asphalt bit into their feet. At his earliest possible opportunity, he would buy her a warm coat. The ram approached, wearing his own coat loosely over his dull attire and thick wool. He had aviator goggles around his neck, and Clawhauser easily deduced that he was a pilot.

"What can I do for you folks?" Clawhauser swallowed and steeled himself to negotiate.

"My friends, Dawn Bellwether and Judy Hopps, came through here ten days ago. We need to go where they went." The ram tilted his head as he pulled the hem of his coat around to his side, exposing a classic stunner like the one Clawhauser had himself. Clawhauser made the same gesture to show he too was packing lightning. In a quick draw, Clawhauser would drop him before a single strand of wool could touch his weapon, but that would stop them from making any more progress. They'd come too far to risk any such outcome. The ram looked at them both and asked.

"If you're really a friend, you should know the password." Clawhauser froze where he stood and thought of anything it might be, he looked to Gazelle and she didn't move at all, and then it seemed rather obvious.

"Muttonchops." He said, and the ram covered his stunner and smiled.

"Aye, that's the ticket. Yes, I took Dawn and her bunny friend to the Emerald Isles ten days ago. It's a little way out but I can get you there." The ram turned around and Clawhauser let out a breath in relief. The ram opened the door to the plane and welcomed them aboard.

They landed in a small and frigid town south of where they needed to be, and the light sleeting rain chewed away at any warmth they retained. Gazelle was freezing, he didn't want her to get sick, that would make everything worse. She couldn't afford to be bedridden in this far away land. From an old outfitter's shop, he bought her a long warm coat, lined with fluff and made of a thick fiber to keep the wind off. She picked out a lovely thick scarf to keep her long neck warm, and she was very happy with the style of her new attire, it felt nice to be fashionable again. Clawhauser had obtained information from the salesman on how to get to Olannglas. The kind mammal told him his son was driving a shipment north and they could ride with him a part of the way, then it was up to them to go the rest on foot. It was a journey, but Clawhauser wouldn't stop until he saw who he came for.

The ride felt like hours, and the walk was even longer. They were in a previous time zone so the long day was prolonged even more. Still, if they didn't reach Olannglas by the time night fell, with the fog and the lack of light on the lonely road, they could be easily lost in the night. Gazelle's hooves were beginning to ache but Clawhauser showed no signs of giving in. He seemed to be driven forward on more than strength, and Gazelle couldn't think of how he was managing to move forward. She knew he was on a mission, and had never seen him this part of him before. He was determined, it was admirable, and she wished she had his strength. She stopped at the top of a low hill and rested her hooves for just a moment, and Clawhauser did the same. The fog lifted for a moment to expose a small village below them in the distance still a few miles away, resting on the edge of the sea, and relying on its natural secrecy. Gazelle expected the cheetah to smile and laugh with joy, but he remained cool and collected. Gazelle saw that he knew more about this place than he lead to believe, and she could sense a foreboding that almost made her turn back. Clawhauser sighed, with the cold wind and spoke softly.

"We're here."

They entered through the wooden door of the inn. Through an arch to one side was the adjacent pub. Clawhauser peeked over and recognized it as it had been described in the letters. It put a smile on his face like he was living something from a fairy tale, feeling the surreal magical charm of the place. Gazelle had to take a peek as well, and found that a welcoming fire was roaring in the hearth ready to cure her shivering. She stepped by and went to sit at the table nearest to it to warm herself, poor thing was chilled to the bone. There was no one at the front desk for the inn, so Clawhauser took a seat at the bar. He looked around at the patrons for a moment, seeing a goat reading a book pause to catch his notice. Clawhauser and Gazelle would have to pay extra attention to their surroundings, they were so far out of their element in this place, a few stares wouldn't be unexpected. Worse yet, they didn't want any old-world judgements on them. The barkeep walked in from the back room and noticed the new company in his establishment.

"What can I get for ya?" He asked.

"Nothing for now, I was wondering if you can help me. I'm looking for a friend, Dawn Bellwether?" The was a loud woody thump that rattled the glasses next to him, and the bar became even quieter somehow. Clawhauser had turned his head to see that a Billy club had been placed on the bar beside him. It was aged, battle worn, and victory imbued. The paw that rested on its grip belonged to a ram much larger than him, with a swirly beard, straight twisted horns, and a bald head.

"And how did you come to know that name, lad?" Clawhauser recognized the ram by his descriptive qualities, he was bigger and more powerful than he imagined, though much older.

"Constable Racka?" He asked, and the ram tilted his head when he heard his own name. "I really am a friend of Dawn Bellwether… she came here after her parents divorced a long time ago. I'm here now to help protect her." Racka took his weapon from the bar and returned it to his hip opposite of its twin, but the constable still remained cautious.

"What did you say your name was?" He asked. Clawhauser held a paw out slowly to show that he meant no harm, but Racka shake paws with him.

"Benjamin Clawhauser." Racka smiled for a moment, and then the smile left him when it was replaced with concern. He spoke as if Bellwether could hear him.

"Aw petal, what right serious trouble have you gotten yerself into to warrant the aid of a Clawhauser?" Now it was Clawhauser who tilted his head when he heard his name. "Oh come now, I know of yer name too, I know what ya can do. It's a true honor to finally meet ya." Clawhauser smiled and drew his weapon, displaying it for the ram.

"This was my father's…" Racka had the respect to see with his eyes and refrained from touching it, seeing was enough for him to believe.

"If this is in yer possession… oh lad, my condolences for your father…"

"It's ok, it happened a long time ago." Clawhauser thought Racka was aware of his father's legacy, but disconnected enough to be out of date. Racka tapped on the bar and the barkeep sat two glasses down before them. He filled both glasses with a stiff amber drink and Racka held one up.

"Let's drink to your father, and the warriors of old that passed." It was a noble gesture, and Clawhauser didn't want to offend the ram.

"Thank you, but not right now, next time." He declined. Racka shrugged and downed both glasses and let out a raspy exhale.

"I imagined you and your father would be quite a force to meddle with. Are you here by your lonesome?"

Clawhauser pointed to Gazelle. "I'm here with my wife, Gazelle..." He felt the need to establish some kind of credit for her too, and thought of a way to describe her without too much detail. "...she can think around the corner." Racka nodded as he glanced at her sitting quietly by the warm fire.

"Aye, keep that one warm. A great many folks been getting sick as of late. Be a shame to lose another." Clawhauser was worried in an instant. The harsh weather could impede on their health, he knew he was in the right place to find Judy and Bellwether. Once he did, they needed to leave.

"I should be finding a room then, are there any available here?" Racka chuckled once, swaying his bald head as his drinks went to it.

"The beds here are all spoken for. You can see if there is a bed at Bellwether's hut, since you're visiting her. It's just up the road and over the first hill on the left." Clawhauser smiled at the constable and patted his shoulder once as he stood. Gazelle was rubbing her paws together, still trying to be warm again when she saw him get up. She followed him out the way they came, but not before a long glance into Racka's judging eyes as she passed. She sensed great sorrow in him.

The evening was thick with fog, and the twilight had set in upon the town. It was quiet and the roads were poorly lit with old electric lights barely staying alive. It was surreal and otherworldly, it was the old world, and it would be pleasant if it wasn't so cold. There wasn't snow yet but the weather was ready for it, and they both hoped it wouldn't snow while they were here. They walked the one avenue, and Clawhauser recognized an overgrown bush next to what he could gather as Mr. Landrace's house.

"A Gorse is a Gorse of course…" He muttered. There was a soft ringing of a bell as someone exited the general store just ahead of them, and outlined by the light, Judy walked into the street wearing a thick coat and holding a little brown bag.

"Judy?" Clawhauser asked. She froze, looked at Clawhauser and gasped in surprised. Judy whipped out the electric baton, and its lights gleamed brightly in the fog. Her stance shifted for combat, and Clawhauser pulled his coat from his side to expose his own stunner.

"Stay away!" She yelled out as she approached menacingly.

"Everyone's looking for you, we need to go home."

"Did Bogo send you? He can't be trusted, I can't trust you!" She came nearer and Clawhauser could see the pain and loss in her eyes. She appeared older, weary, and looked of grief.

"Judy, I just want to talk-"

"Lies! All lies! I'll stun you to the ground before I trust the ZPD again..." Clawhauser knew she wouldn't stop herself, and nothing he could say would change her mind right now. Her mind was closed and flooded with erratic emotions, abandoning all logic, and cared only for survival. If they were to fight, it'd be better to subdue her as a matter of weapon choice. Clawhauser could be badly injured by a well-placed baton strike, but a shot from the Songbird would leave much less physical harm, but cause hours of agony. Either way, it was too dangerous. Between the two of them, the name of the game would be speed. He pulled the weapon slowly though, reluctant and knowing just as fast as he could draw and fire, she would be on top of him in a heartbeat. His weapon's electrodes glowed alive, and he was armed and ready. For the moment, it was a standoff, and Gazelle felt the tension building as she gave the two gladiators space while Judy sat down the little brown bag out of their way.

It was Judy that made the first move, rolling in and around Clawhauser's reactive first shot. The yellow gel splattered in a flash of light across the cobble behind her as she grunted with a powerful swing of the baton. He spun his body back, dancing his way to avoid full contact with the baton, and his father's coat protected him by dispersing the electricity. Arcs of lightning waved out over his coat as he shot again from beneath his right arm, she sprung up to his face, jabbing at his neck but still with no connection as he ducked and rolled. He shot preemptively at her feet and she barely dodged, grunting and feeling the sting as the yellow paint splashed in bright sparks. He spun again to be dangerously close and put the barrel of the stunner point-blank in Judy's face. He didn't shoot, he didn't want to risk blinding his friend and she knew it. Judy slapped his paw away, and he recoiled with a kick at her knee to knock her down. Judy quickly bounced up and out of the way of the next shot, and leaped for his chest, pushing her entire weight into him. He stumbled back but without her vest and weighted bands, she had only her natural force to throw at him. He threw the hem of his coat up and it confused her for a split second as he grabbed her coat with his free hand. She twisted and brought the baton down hard on his arm. The coat dispersed the electricity but the impact of the heavy rod was painfully there. His grip on her failed and she was free to bring the baton under his coat to send a shock into his unprotected side. He roared as it jolted its power into him, and he convulsed as he fell down onto the cold cobble road. Judy dashed off and secured the brown bag in her other paw, then disengaged the baton. Clawhauser was down and she had an opportunity to escape. She took off like a missile, running as fast as she could down the road. Clawhauser bore through pain and stood as Judy ran up the first low hill. He took careful aim, and she was slipping away with every fraction of a second. If she escaped back to the hut, she and Bellwether could leave and run anywhere, Bellwether knew the terrain, and the fog would make them impossible to track. It was now or never. He fired a faithful shot, sending the ball of electricity through the fog like a little flare, flickering as it flew through the twilight. As Judy rounded the summit of the hill, it landed on her at what could've been over 150 feet. She was silhouetted in the flash of the impact, and a distant scream of sudden agony confirmed his target had been hit. Clawhauser never wanted to ever hear that sound from her, and he felt guilty he had to do it. He signaled to Gazelle to follow and they ran to see the damage he had caused.

Judy was struggling to move, crawling, clawing her way forward along the road. Clawhauser and Gazelle caught up with her easily enough and he holstered his weapon and nearly keeled over from his own hurts.

"Judy!" He shouted as he caught his breath. "I'm so sorry!" She had crawled up to the brown bag and opened it, seeing that whatever was inside was now broken, and a liquid soaked the bottom of the bag.

"You IDIOT!" She yelled. "I needed that!" Clawhauser saw where she had been painted, she was hit on the back of her thigh. Clawhauser worried he had hit in her the head and was glad she didn't get a worse hit. He tried helping her up, but she batted him away, and the electricity was still stinging into her as she moved. She submitted to the pain, and finally accepted the help with a growl. Bellwether's hut was in sight, and Judy winced as Clawhauser acted as a crutch for her. Gazelle was abhorred by the power of his weapon, and hoped Judy would recover from the shock. Her mind was focused on the hut as she shivered. The soft warm light within it looked more than welcoming to everyone.

Clawhauser turned the latch and opened the door to the old stone and wood hut. The inside was dim and candle lit, and layered with quilt patterned upholstery and curtains. The size was alright for Clawhauser, but Gazelle had to duck in, but once inside, the space was accommodating. A fire gently burned beneath a large kettle in the fireplace of the main room, and Gazelle was happy to see it. Judy grumbled in and sat down in a little wooden chair and tried wiping away the stinging paint.

"Flour." Clawhauser said. "Put flour on it and it'll take it off." She nodded and limped off to take care of it. Gazelle sat and huddled before the fire and smelled the soup cooking in the pot. She sighed deeply and quietly stared into the hypnotic flames. It worried Clawhauser that he didn't know how well she was doing, or what was on her mind. He thought it was bad for her to lose her career and everything the first time, but to lose the home life she had created for herself from unfair circumstances, it was unfathomable. Clawhauser has every right to worry. Judy came back with a fresh pair of pants and dusted the flour from her paws.

"That feels so much better, thank you, but I still hate you." Judy shook off any remaining sting on her leg and seemed to be walking again with only a slight limp. Clawhauser asked,

"Where's Bellwether?" A short silence, the Judy took a candle and brought it with her to a dark corner of the living room. She sat it on a nightstand near a pair of glasses, then shook the sheep sleeping on the large bed.

"Hey, wake up." Judy softly spoke. "We have guests." She gave her the glasses then stepped aside while Bellwether sleepily rolled over to see who had come. She coughed, and her lungs rattled with mucus, then she sniffed her snot-thick nose and wiped it with a handkerchief. She rubbed her dark-circled eyes and put her glasses on. Clawhauser's jaw dropped.

"She's sick!" Judy punched him in his stomach not so playfully.

"And you made me drop the medicine she needed to get better! I spent all my money on the last vial!" The hope in Bellwether's eyes fled and she was still for a moment in disbelief. Gazelle turned around and saw the sick sheep and she didn't need any help sensing how bad it was. She came near to see for herself and Bellwether recognized her.

"You're… oh my… you're Gazelle! I'm so sorry to have to meet you like this. I'm a big fan!" Bellwether blew her nose as Gazelle reached forward and placed the back of her paw on her forehead. Her senses tripped, almost expecting them to, but what she saw was startling. It was not life nor death, but the blank faceless void of uncertainty. Something was yet to be decided and Bellwether's life was hanging in the balance. It was disturbing, far worse than any fear or pain, and Gazelle's concern couldn't hide from her expression. "That bad, huh?" Bellwether groaned. Gazelle wrote a note and shown it to everyone.

"Burning up." Judy was still mad, frustrated, at the end of her rope, she was spinning with emotions.

"Go ahead, Clawhauser! Make your arrest." He turned to Judy and pulled the hem of his jacket to expose the place where his badge should be.

"No badge." He pointed out. Judy's expression softened into a surprise.

"What? Why?"

"Same as you, couldn't trust Bogo, couldn't trust anyone. I shoved Bogo down and stuck my stunner in his face, thought he was going to wet himself." Judy closed her eyes and imagined it with a grin. "So... awesome..." Clawhauser chuckled at it and kept explaining.

"Gazelle has been amazing, she helped me find you." Judy looked at her, and Gazelle smiled as she golf-clapped her paws together for herself. "We've had a heck of a day-" He didn't know where to begin, but Judy cut him off.

"Where's Nick?" She asked. The silence that followed told all, and she knew there was something wrong. Clawhauser stayed stoic.

"As far as I know, he's still missing." Judy sighed and took the news like an arrow through her heart. Ten days was far too long to be missing with an injury.

"He was stabbed, badly." Judy told Clawhauser. "He saved Bellwether's life, and now she's so ill, I don't know what else to do but to make her comfortable." Clawhauser looked at Bellwether, and she had fallen back asleep, unable to stay with everyone. Judy adjusted her pillows to settle her better and wiped her nose with the handkerchief. Bellwether woke up again and was confused, she hadn't known she had dozed off. "You should have some soup." Judy said and Bellwether nodded, propping herself up so she could eat. Gazelle was stirring the soup in the kettle and heard Judy mention it, so she headed to the kitchen to get bowls and spoons for everyone.

Gazelle ducked into the kitchen and searched the cabinets for bowls, finding four large earthen clay bowls that were crafted from scratch. She looked around in the dim kitchen and saw a drawer that looked like it might have silverware in it. She patted her paws around in the dark and let the countertop guide her to where she wanted to be. She touched the brick oven and an image filled her mind. She saw a young Bellwether, a happy child, eager to have one of her Baba's delicious cookies fresh from the oven. It was such a happy memory filled with innocence and light. Then a second memory followed, it was a later time and Bellwether was dark, angry, brooding, and when she was given the same cookie, she destroyed it and yelled. The memory left Gazelle in the dark, and she wasn't able to determine what might have caused such a drastic change in the little sheep's heart. It concerned her, she knew what that dark place felt like, and she sympathized. This old-world place was filled with artifacts, and her senses could be triggered at any moment. She hesitantly touched the handle of the drawer and was relieved that all that was in it was the silverware she looked for.

Bringing the bowls and spoons, Judy ladled the hardy soup into them and passed it around. They all sat around the living room and enjoyed the warm meal and each other's company. Clawhauser sighing loudly as he shared.

"Craziest day ever. I came into work and everyone was going nuts in the bullpen. So many officers from all of the precincts are investigating and looking for Nick. Happy Town is locked-down, so hopefully Finnick can crack that one." Judy finished a slurp of the soup and asked.

"Finnick is working with the fuzz? Voluntarily?" Clawhauser nodded.

"Depends on the fuzz, I may have kinda sorta perhaps only a little bit played Cupid had paired him up with Francine." Clawhauser grinned and shrugged and Judy just gaped her mouth.

"Oh cheese and crackers…" she exhaled.

"It gets crazier. Gazelle is a-" hearing her name got her attention and Clawhauser saw she was shaking her head slightly. He altered what he was about to say. "-super intuitive person, and she helped find his car." Judy nodded and chewed on a big piece of carrot from the soup.

"His car was meant to be hidden until all of this was over. Bellwether had a guy drive it back so it wouldn't be found at the airfield. You saw the dash cam video, didn't you?" Clawhauser nodded.

"Yeah, it was disturbing, but you gave away your location. I borrowed Nick's key to check out your apartment and I found the letters. It described where this village actually is."

"That's good detective work. How is it that you got stuck working behind a desk all day?" Clawhauser smiled and pointed at Gazelle, and she waved it all thinking she didn't deserve that much credit.

Clawhauser groaned and was rubbing the spot in his side where Judy tagged him with the stun baton. "I'm sorry I got you-"

"Don't worry about it, we're even. Not the worse thing that happened today." He looked to Gazelle as she drank the broth of her soup. She swallowed and wrote for a moment on her notepad what had happened.

"Our home vandalized, set on fire. Lost everything." Judy read it, and sat her soup down and went to Gazelle and gave her a big hug.

"Oh sweetheart, that's so terrible!" Gazelle hugged back and was appreciative that her pain was recognized and acknowledged by her. She held the sadness in, sniffing just once and Clawhauser could see the orange fire reflect off her watery eyes. Judy knew how much they had lost, she helped deliver the gifts while they were on their honeymoon. She didn't even want to bring that up, to do so at this sad time might tarnish a good memory so she let it be. The day had been the craziest indeed.

Gazelle gathered the dishes and returned them to the kitchen. She brought a candle with her this time as to avoid any obstacles, extrasensory or not. Judy tucked Bellwether in and felt her forehead again, and she was still too hot. Judy set herself up on the foot of the large bed Bellwether occupied, there was plenty of space left over, and Clawhauser and Gazelle could take the bed in Bellwether's old room. The bed was much smaller, and Gazelle gave it to Clawhauser while she curled up on a thick quilt and a pillow by the fire. She wrapped herself in Clawhauser's coat and pulled the old photo of her parents out of its inner pocket. She stared at it until it comforted her, letting the good memories wash over her, and quietly cried from the need she had for her mamá. Clawhauser sat on the edge of the bed and cleaned the Songbird by candle light. It was a comforting ritual that made him feel close to his father, and through his weapon, he hoped that he could find the resolve to finish this journey. He didn't know where it was going, or what the next step was, he hoped perhaps Gazelle could foresee what came next. He oiled and maintained the parts and clicked the stunner back together, inserting a fully loaded clip. He heard a faint voice and went to investigate, looking through the doorframe of the bedroom into the living room where everyone else slept. Bellwether started coughing hard, her chest heaving with illness, he couldn't help but think that she was becoming sicker. She stopped and caught her breath as he heard the familiar voice.

"Judy… I love you." It was Nick's voice, and it surprised him at first, "Judy… I love you." It came again, identical to the first occurrence. He saw Judy was listening to the carrot pen recorder repeatedly. "Judy… I love you." Clawhauser looked to Gazelle curled on her side before the fire in his coat, and Bellwether had caught his gaze as he looked around. He walked quietly up to her and she whispered to him.

"She listens to it a hundred times every night." She told him. The recording kept playing over and over, and it was unsettling. Clawhauser could see Judy rolled up in the quilt, and faced away from everyone. He noticed her breathing was labored, and she was grieving, possibly mourning the loss of her partner, her love. "It doesn't bother me, the repetition helps me sleep. But she..." Judy rolled over and wiped the tears from her eyes, it was then he saw that she had his badge, his wallet with his photo ID, phone, and the carrot pen. It was all that remained of him, and she held onto the pieces, wishing she had more than remaining pieces of her fox.

"I miss him so much… I can't live without him… I don't know what to do." Clawhauser could feel the despair come over her as she rolled back over and sobbed once to continue expelling the pain she had in her soul. Clawhauser understood how she had come to look so worn, and all she had for comfort was just a few objects. He looked to Bellwether as she adjusted herself, and her bell chimed once, and like a cue, it brought to him its message and the everlasting homage to her Baba. He acknowledged that he, too, remembered through his father's stunner and coat, and as he looked to see his beloved wife with the photograph by the fire. She wrote something in her huddle and ripped the page from the pad. She held the note straight up as she laid to give it to him. He took the note and read it.

"We are not broken."

Gazelle woke up, coughing from a dry throat and remembering the brief lingering panic of a nightmare. She didn't know which nightmare it was, the one of pool powder, or the one of fire. Her throat burned as she gasped and she desperately needed a drink to sooth it. Bellwether was sleeping peacefully, and she made sure she could see discernibly that she was still breathing. Judy wasn't present, and Clawhauser snoozed on the bed in the old bedroom. There was enough of the morning light coming in through the windows to see her way to a cup in the kitchen, and find her way back to the front door. She wrapped Clawhauser's coat around her and stepped out into the cold fresh air of the deep early morning.

The fog was still thick, and the well was visible near enough. She saw Judy had come out for a drink as well and was acknowledged by her.

"Hey." was all she said. Gazelle dipped the cup into the bucket Judy had pulled from the well and drank it up with much need. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and Judy struck up a conversation. "I didn't sleep well myself…" Gazelle didn't blame her. She didn't know what she'd do if she ever lost Clawhauser, she thought she would crumble apart and doubted she would love again. "When Clawhauser said you helped him, did he mean like this?" Judy pulled a note from her pocket and gave it to her, it read 'save Bellwether'. Gazelle was unsure how to explain it, she just nodded. Judy had a look of discovery on her face and asked a new question. "Are you clairvoyant?" Gazelle didn't answer, standing still until Judy spoke again. "No secrets, we need all the help we can get." That was the truth, and Gazelle nodded and shrugged to say yes but it was elusive to her, she undoubtedly confirmed the suspicion. Judy pulled the things from her pockets and held them out for Gazelle to inspect. She knew that any of these things could speak to her, show her something. "Please Gazelle, find him." Judy urged. Gazelle took a deep breath and knew she had to purposely throw herself into a vision to locate their lost friend. She reached her paw out, and tugged at the chain around Judy's neck, pulling out a dented and chipped silver leaf wrapped in wire. The leaf dangled on its wire repair and Gazelle could feel, nearly see with her eyes, the amount of energy that flowed through this relic. She was afraid to touch it, afraid of where it might take her, but she had to try. For Nick and for Judy, she gripped it tight.

Her mind was sent to Nick as he was stabbed, and the pain was overwhelming. She had to focus intensely from being dislodged from the vision, and she stayed with him until he slipped into darkness. His chest hurt and was jostled around as Fangmeyer spoke, telling him he was going to be ok. Nick was fading fast and then he was dropped out of a car and she couldn't tell where he was. The impact to the street hurt tremendously on the wound and it sent Gazelle reeling out.

Gazelle's heart was pounding furiously, and the world was sideways. She had collapsed to the ground and Judy was trying to get her up. She shook her head, tossed the hair out of her face and tried to calm down. Judy gave her a moment until she seemed stable.

"Did you find Nick?" Judy asked hopeful for good news. Gazelle was helped from the frigid ground and focused on reality for a moment. She pulled the notepad to write but she hesitated, not knowing how to describe what she had seen. It worried Judy, and she was unable to definitively find a helpful detail. Gazelle didn't have the heart to describe how much agony Nick was in, she didn't want to crush her spirit. She wrote something down and turned the message over to Judy.

"I think he's ok." She read. It wasn't the most reassuring message, and provided no further insights. Clawhauser yanked the old door to the hut open.

"I need help in here!" He yelled out. Judy ran off, leaving Gazelle in the dust. Gazelle took a few steps, then stopped when her senses pinged off of something, someone was watching. She looked around for a moment and saw a faint figure at the edge of the fog. She couldn't see who it was, but as he turned away, all she could determine was that he was a deer by his antlers. He disappeared into the morning almost instantly and was gone. She thought she had seen a ghost.

Judy burst through the door and saw Clawhauser at Bellwether's bedside.

"We a problem!" He was dabbing the sweat from Bellwether's forehead. Gazelle entered the room and was struck with horror. Bellwether was hyperventilating, and whimpering in terrible distress. "Judy, how does your mama stop a high fever!?" Clawhauser asked.

"I don't know! We always had medicine!" Gazelle could nearly feel Bellwether's suffering, and the last time she felt this way was when she was little. She had a high fever of her own once, and her poor family couldn't afford the necessary medicine. She remembered her mother running a cool bath for her, and she had an immediate idea. Gazelle grabbed the nearest blanket and darted out the door back to the well. She sensed that lurking deer again, but couldn't mind it this time. She dunked the blanket into the cold water of bucket and soaked it the best she could and ran back. Ducking into the room again, Gazelle pulled Bellwether up and moved her to the cool floor. She clutched at her burning head and cried in agony as the sopping cold blanket was wrapped around her, Bellwether held the heavy wet blanket like her life depended on it and calmed down. In a moment, she seemed better and Judy praised Gazelle for her resourcefulness.

"Good call." Bellwether caught her breath as she huddled on the floor, now much more stable as the heat had been sapped away. She coughed repeatedly, and to everyone's worry, it sounded dangerously worse. Clawhauser and Judy looked at one another, hoping to find an idea between the two of them, but when they saw Gazelle looking through the curtains outside at something, it caused an alarm in Clawhauser. He drew his stunner and threw open the door in a single motion then stepped out into the cold silent fog, Judy following with the baton already in her paw. With his weapon aimed into the fog, he couldn't tell who was there, or had been there. The air held still, and not a sound other than the distant coast could be heard. Gazelle knew someone was out there, in fact, they all knew.

"We need a plan." Judy said while she and Gazelle tucked Bellwether back into her bed with fresh sheets and blankets. Clawhauser equipped himself with his own coat and a spare clip, and Judy knew he wanted to hunt for whoever was stalking them. She couldn't disagree, they would take no liberties to keep everyone safe. Clawhauser tossed the hem of his coat over his belt and was ready to go.

"I should at least call in, see if anyone has found Nick." Judy nodded and told him where to go.

"Our phones don't work here but there's one in the general store that does." Gazelle fluffed up Bellwether's pillows and sat them behind her head, she was trying to convince Gazelle she was alright.

"Please, I'm fine, I feel better." Gazelle placed the back of her paw on her forehead and checked her temperature. It had gone down for the moment, and she could tell that the cold blanket would only stave off the fever momentarily. Their efforts were proving ineffective to fight the virus itself, they really did need medicine. Gazelle wasn't fooled, and she had the most concern for the little sheep and her declining condition. Clawhauser and Judy came to the bedside and talked with them, Judy speaking up first.

"We're running out of options. We need to go into town to make a phone call. We'll see if there is anything we can find that'll help her." Judy took Bellwether's paw, looking to bestow the hope she needed to stay strong and survive. "Gazelle will stay and-"

"No," Bellwether spoke out. "Take her with you. I've read about what she is." It was confirmed right then that everyone knew and it was no longer a secret. Bellwether spoke to Gazelle directly. "You have evolved instincts. You're more useful out there where you can use your intuition, so help them. I'm not going anywhere, I feel better, and I'll be here reading my book." She leaned over and grabbed the novel by the candle on the nightstand. Gazelle reluctantly nodded to agree with her. Judy and Clawhauser didn't argue, and the best possible outcome was in everyone's interest. "I gotta ask though, did you always have your gift?" Gazelle wrote in the notepad and showed it to her.

"Maybe, but I was very distracted." Bellwether smiled, knowing Gazelle was once at the top of Zootopia, and now she was on the cold fringe of the world with her. She felt honored, and was happy that she had a friend like her.

"Go get help, and when we all go home, Gazelle can predict the lottery." She said smiling as the party left the hut, Gazelle last, of course, Bellwether saw in her eyes that she may have caught the lie. The door closed behind them and Bellwether slumped down, setting the book back on the nightstand and taking her glasses off, folding them neatly and setting them by the novel. She huffed and blew the candle out, and as it smoked a thin line in the dreary morning lit room, she laid her head down and folded her paws across her abdomen, felt the deeply scarred scratch across her forearm with her paw, and closed her eyes. She wasn't feeling better. Her entire body ached terribly and she was weak to the point that she could barely feel her legs. She could tell it was perhaps her last day, and she couldn't have been in better surroundings as she remembered the good things that came from this place, and the good friends that surrounded her. She closed her eyes, and began a repetition to help her sleep.

"Mother, Father, Baba, Pinky, Leodore, Racka, Mr. Hart, Dakota, Doug, Jesse, Woolter, Bogo, Nick, Judy, Clawhauser, Gazelle, Zootopia, Olannglas, and myself…" she paused for a deep breath before she finished. "Please, forgive me." Her mind was calm, and she had made her peace with everything. She would rest, and whatever happened, she would let happen.

Bellwether was jostled awake, dazed and confused as she emerged from her feverish sleep. She wiped the snot from her nose and saw through her blurry vision who was next to her.

"Gazelle?" She asked as she reached for her glasses. She didn't find them and they were placed on her face for her. The person looking over her was not Gazelle, it was Mr. Hart.

"Gazelle? Is that the name of that exotic bird?" He cooed devilishly. His gray muzzle showed his age, but he hadn't changed a bit since Bellwether last saw him. "You've picked a bad time to visit."

"I don't plan on staying for long." Bellwether told him as she tried to get up and failed with the effort. Half of her body was numb and the unresponsiveness filled her with panic.

"Neither did I." He confessed. "That medicine I gave your hare friend wasn't medicine at all. It was a strong sedative that would've stopped your heart. Doesn't that sound familiar?" Bellwether was filled with fear and she was helpless to do anything, her weakness was too great and she was at the mercy of someone sinister. Bellwether looked angrily at the deer, he didn't have as much power as he thought he had over her.

"So you came to finish the job? I'm too sick, and if I somehow survive, I go back to prison for the rest of my life. Either way, you get what you want. But I'm ok with it. I only hope that one day you can forgive." Her words caught him off guard, and his influence over her had diminished, but the crafty deer had more in store for the little sheep.

"That's excellent, but there is something here that belongs to me, where is it?" Bellwether knew what he wanted, and she didn't deny nor resist him.

"Bedroom, bottom drawer." The deer left her side to retrieve the shoe box of keepsakes and mementos. He brought the whole box out and sat it within her view on the bed. He flipped the lid off and inside was the pink sheep doll. He picked it up and held it fondly, and then saw all of the other things inside the box. Dakota's name, in her own writing, was scribed across the piece of Bellwether's leg cast. Also within the box were cards, souvenirs, dried flowers from a necklace, and crayon drawings of a happy little doe and sheep girl. The memories were all too real, and Mr. Hart put everything away, back into the box that kept them safe for so many years. "I want you to have the whole box." Bellwether said. Mr. Hart was confused, and didn't understand why she would ever give up something so precious. "If it means that much to you, you should have it. It's what Dakota would've done." She was reciprocating the kindness to him, and he picked the box up and held it firmly beneath his arm.

"But this will never bring her back..." he said quietly, feeling his raw emotions stir.

"I know... but I'm glad I could make this right between us..." The buck snorted, and anger filled his eyes again.

"This will never be right. You took her away from me forever, and now I will take someone away from you!" Panic filled Bellwether again, and realized she was looking at a mirror of a person. She herself had been filled with that same blind rage, and it made her do something really stupid.

"Whatever you're thinking, it's not worth it! I've stood right where you're standing and felt that anger, and it only leads to your own destruction!"

"I don't care!" Mr. Hart yelled at her. He leaned close and Bellwether withdrew from him as far as she could. "That exotic bird, I think she will do." A cold terror filled Bellwether, and her heart was pounding out of her chest.

"Don't you touch her!" Bellwether screamed. Mr. Hart had backed off to leave with the box and opened the door.

"Ta-ta." He said cheerfully as he closed the door on the sheep.

"No! NO!" Bellwether wretched herself off the bed and plummeted to the wooden floor below. She hit with a heavy thump and her body gave in. She couldn't move after the exertion, and she laid in a crumpled heap on the cold surface unable to help her friend, or herself. Her eyes rolled back, thinking of the forgiveness she had asked for as her mind slipped into unconsciousness, alone and helpless.

The shop was an assortment of goods, everything from farming supplies to books and stationery was available for a price. Clawhauser picked up the phone at the front counter and tried to place a call. The number to Francine's phone didn't connect. He hung up and dialed zero to get an operator. Judy and Gazelle looked around the shop at the various items, Judy inspecting everything while Gazelle touched nothing. Clawhauser spoke to Judy for a second.

"Hey, go see if there's a doctor anywhere." Judy nodded and thought her best guess was to locate and speak to Constable Racka. She left to complete this task and the call connected on the phone. He heard the elephant through the old speaker as she picked up.

"Officer Pennington."

"Hey, it's Clawhauser!" He said, happy to hear her voice.

"Clawhauser? Is it really you!? Bogo is furious! He almost put your photo on the missing mammals board!" Clawhauser chuckled, knowing he had bested the chief and was not at all surprised he was still angry.

"Sorry I had to leave everyone with that. I'm with Judy and Bellwether."

"That's great! When are you getting back?" Clawhauser paused and thought for a moment, and he couldn't say for sure. He knew that Bellwether couldn't be moved in her current state.

"I don't know." He said honestly. "Has Nick been found yet?"

"No, I'm sorry, we've made no progress." Clawhauser looked at Judy while she listened to one side of the conversation. He shook his head to her and she turned away and sighed in disappointment.

"Has anyone gained entry to Happy Town?" There was a pause before she answered.

"Not yet. Though we've been able to see that security has decreased. I'm on my way to pick up Finnick, he's been following some leads, meeting some connections, we're going to try again first thing. We might jump the wall if there aren't that many guards stationed, as a last resort. Seems like all things are pointing at Happy Town so that's where we're going. If anyone can get in, it would be Finnick and me." Clawhauser agreed.

"My thoughts exactly. Do what it takes." There was a pause before Francine

"Clawhauser, I have to thank you. When all this is done, I want to take Finnick on a date, he's a really wonderful guy! I mean he's cute and confident and… OH! Here he comes, bye!" She hung up but not before she expressed a few last thoughts. Clawhauser felt successful with his matchmaking, and hoped that the elephant-fennec team was all that was needed to get into Happy Town. Francine was right, all things pointed to it.

Gazelle almost didn't see Judy and Clawhauser leave the general store. She was busy reading the various titles of the books and literature that rested on the shelf near the back of the shop. The chime of the bell over the store had alerted her, and through the shelves, she could see Clawhauser walk outside. She stood up and felt a presence. She wasn't alone among the shelves of the shop, and someone was watching intensely on her. She ducked down and stepped back as Mr. Hart searched for her. She eluded his surveillance as he tried to find her. Ducking to the exit, she was nearly free before a voice had spoken to her.

"Leaving so soon?" Mr. Hart had spotted her. Gazelle looked hesitantly upon the deer, and a sense of a void came to her, the same indecision she felt with her paw on Bellwether's head. She turned and saw that he had a small old briefcase in his paw. "I thought I might interest you in some premium items." He asked with a faint quiver of what she might have thought as nervousness. He sat the case flat on the front counter and opened it. Inside laid numerous little vial bottles of what could only be medicine. She needed one badly, the entire village needed them, and the void felt like a fork had been made. Her sense was picking up that a choice was to be made, and it perhaps was placed upon her shoulders. She would have to play the game.

"I have here the medicine you need. No lies." She slowly came closer and she confirmed that he was indeed being truthful, the bottles were labeled with official stickers. She also believed he was nervous, and didn't know yet why. "I would like to help you, birdy." He hesitated and plucked a vial from the case and stared at it reluctantly. She was beginning to see the fork, seeing that the choice was his. She hoped he would make the right one. Mr. Hart thought deeply on the wisdom Bellwether had given him, and with a heavy heart, he held the vial out for her to take. She carefully picked it from his paw and looked at the printed yellow label on it. She stepped back once and turned to leave through the door when the feeling of the void came again. It loomed in her mind, and she realized the choice had not yet been made. The time hadn't come yet, and when she reacted to the jarring thought of a mistake, a rag covered her face and nose. It smelled of ether, and she couldn't breathe as she grasped at his paw. The world spun as her lungs filled with the pungent odor, thieving the air from her. She panicked as the world phased out from her vision, then she collapsed in his arms, limp and powerless.

Judy and Clawhauser met with Constable Racka on the single cobble avenue. A light rain was beginning to come in, and the air was feeling wet. Racka was shivering and needed to get warm or he would fall prey to the sickness spreading around as well.

"Constable Racka?" Judy called as she got the attention of the ram. "We need a doctor! Bellwether is in really bad shape!" Racka sighed, and the expression on his face was forlorn and weary.

"There is none and we have nothing left to offer the sick." He said with defeat. "Even I'm beginning to feel it's heat in my head. We have no herbs left for tea, no medicine either. I hope that Bellwether will pull through, she be a strong wee petal." He started to walk off to his home, likely to rest and conserve his strength. He began coughing and the warrior didn't seem as defiant as he once was, defeated by an enemy most were unable to fight. Judy was worried for the ram, and as she stepped to follow him, Clawhauser placed a paw on her shoulder.

"We have our own to look after, he'll be ok." Clawhauser looked around for a moment, and noticed something was amiss. "Where's Gazelle?"

Clawhauser and Judy entered the general store, and the jingle of the bell made their presence known. Mr. Hart had frozen behind the front counter when he came in, he was nervous but carried on.

"My apologies, we're closed." He said and went back to gathering up select items from the shelf behind the counter. He grabbed the old briefcase of medicine and a paper pile of records.

"Sorry to bother you," Clawhauser asked. "My wife was in here a moment ago, did you see where she went?" The deer froze again and nervously concocted a lie.

"Ah yes, uhm… she bought a cookbook and went home to try a new recipe. She said she wanted to cheer everyone up with some cookies like Bellwether's grandmother once had." The deer picked up a metal box that he kept money inside.

"Going somewhere?" Clawhauser asked. The frantic deer kept talking.

"Yes, I'm off to Animberg, my sister is sick." The deer had a dozen things in his paws, but still managed to open the front door for them and signal to Clawhauser and Judy that the shop was indeed closed. They exited, and Judy chimed in as the buck closed the door behind them.

"He's in a hurry."

"Something's wrong. Gazelle doesn't have any money, I'm sure she didn't say anything at all, and she doesn't know about Baba's cookies." The red flags were too many as Judy sighed.

"He's a terrible liar." Clawhauser tried the door again. It had been locked behind them.

"Sir!?" He called. "Sir! Open the door!" He looked inside and saw no one was there and the lights were off. "Judy, check on Bellwether, see if Gazelle went back, I'm going around back."

"Got it!" Judy sprinted off and disappeared into the fog in a moment. Clawhauser went around the side, checking in each window for either Mr. Hart or his wife. He heard the sound of a truck starting and he ran around the back of the store. He saw an old pickup truck with a camper topper covering its bed. Without any hesitation, it drove off, spinning its tires in the mud before entering an alleyway between the buildings and the main road. Without a vehicle, he had no hope of catching up to the deer. The winds blew, and the rain was beginning. It's cold droplets splashed across him as he lost sight of the truck in the fog along the only road out of the village.

Judy came home to the hut, panting and needing a moment to catch her breath. She looked to the bed and didn't see Bellwether, then seen she had fallen to the floor.

"Bellwether!" Judy called and she knelt down to check to see if she was alive. "Say something!" She shook her shoulder and the little sheep mumbled. Judy couldn't understand her and she picked her up, lugging her back onto the bed and covered her in the warm blankets. "Are you ok?" Judy asked.

"Gazelle…" Bellwether groaned. "Mr. Hart… is going to hurt her… Judy…" Bellwether gripped her paw tightly, holding the rabbit in place so she wouldn't hastily run without hearing her first. "... forgive me." She wearily spoke.

"I… I do. Stay right here, I'll be back soon and everything will be alright! Just stay here!" Judy didn't even know if that was possible, but she had to at least say it. Bellwether nodded and Judy left to warn Clawhauser of Mr. Hart's intentions. Bellwether was dying, Nick was still missing, she wasn't able to think about losing Gazelle too. She sprinted as fast as she could back to the village, adrenaline fueling her heart and her emotions, speeding through the rain fast enough for it to sting her face.

Clawhauser met with Judy at the front of the store and reported his findings.

"Shop owner just left and-"

"He's got Gazelle!" Judy blurted out between breaths.

"W-what!? No!" Clawhauser panicked and looked down the road to see that the winds were blowing away the fog, and replacing it with rain. In the distance, Clawhauser could see with his keen eyes that the truck had stopped, and they could catch up to it, they had a chance.

Gazelle woke up in a haze. The dreamless sleep made it feel unreal and she didn't recognize her surroundings. She was tied and gagged, bound at the bottom of a truck bed covered by a topper, her paws were tied behind her back, and her feet tied around the ankles. She wasn't able to move. Through the light of the back window, she saw there were many things stacked and secured on the shelves within the compartment. She looked up and saw the profile of Mr. Hart at the steering wheel. The truck was rumbling on and she needed to get out fast. She saw a spade hung between the shelves, and she thought to use it to unbind herself. She rolled over and stretched her arms out and found the shovel's edge. The rope seemed manageable, and she scraped it on the spade's edge, wearing down the threads. With all of the help she's had from her gift, it wouldn't do her any good if she was tied in the back of a truck, she had to act. The rope gave way, and her paws were free. She untied her feet and removed the unnecessary gag from her mouth. She was filled with the void of indecision again, and learned the choice was hers all along, the moment had come. If she escaped out of the back of the camper, she would miss an opportunity to get the medicine that Bellwether and the rest of the town badly needed. She couldn't tell how each path ended, but she knew she had to choose to fight or to run. She chose to grab the shovel firmly and acted, jabbing it into the truck's back window with a loud squeaky cry. Mr. Hart was terribly surprised and the truck swerved, throwing her to the side. He slammed on the breaks as Gazelle held onto the shelves, then he climbed out. She saw the case in the front seat and she grabbed it through the broken window, securing it in her paw as she readied herself to fight. The door to the camper came open, and the bright outer world blinded her. She saw the faint silhouette of the deer, then something shot at her. Her body was filled with lightning as two electrodes attached themselves to her shoulder. She convulsed, shrieked awfully, but she wouldn't let go of the case. She collapsed under the voltage entering her, and the shovel was taken from her grasp. The case stayed, and as Mr. Hart yanked at it, she still kicked, connecting her hoof with his stomach. Her mind was frantic, instinctual, reduced to the basic need to survive. With all of her might, she lifted herself and escaped his grip to stumble out onto the wet cobble road. She could see him, her Clawhauser, and Judy too, they were coming as fast as they could to save her. The world felt like cotton as she ran, and for a moment there was hope, but Mr. Hart hit her like a train. She was rammed sideways, being thrown into the low wooden guardrail between the road and the rolling decline that lead to the cliff and sea below. She was pressed up against it, seeing how steep the hill was and was afraid of it. If she went over the guardrail, she would surely slide down the muddy incline. Mr. Hart pushed at her as he tried to snatch the case, and she held tightly onto its handle as her weight went over. Mr. Hart's paws clawed at the sides of the case, and he was the only thing keeping her from descending down the cliff.

"Stop right there!" Clawhauser yelled in the distance. It got Mr. Hart's attention, and as he looked, Clawhauser jumped to find a millisecond of steadiness mid-stride. At the apex, he fired. The yellow splat erupted in a quick flash of electricity, right between Mr. Hart's eyes. He screamed in agony as it burned furiously, proving the Songbird earned its right to be banned, and Mr. Hart would be blind for the rest of his life. He jerked painfully and let go of the briefcase, and Gazelle was set to fall over completely. She landed on the slope and tumbled once, digging her paws into the soft muddy ground. She screamed out with an intense squeal as the great peril of her predicament dawned on her. She never let go of the case, and it rested safely between her outstretched arms. The rain washed the hill, and she didn't want to look down, she knew she didn't have much space to work with, not far to go over the cliff and into the ocean far below. She tried pulling herself up, and the mud came loose easily. She slid a bit further and her heart couldn't beat any faster. Judy was the first to look over the wooden guardrail, and the fear in her eyes told all as she screamed.

"Gazelle! Hold on!" Gazelle looked up and she appeared to be a mile away, out of anyone's reach, but not out of reach if she were to toss the case. If that could be saved, at least those who needed the medicine would get well. She compromised her grip to grab the handle of the case, and with a big swing, tossed it up into Judy's grasp. "Got it!" She confirmed. Gazelle tried again to climb, uninhibited by the case, but more of the cold mud gave way, and she slid further down the slow hill. She felt the open air around her hooves, and all she held onto was the unreliable soil. A deep horror filled her as her legs kicked in the air, kicked at the edge of the oblivion she was slipping into.

She knew it was time.

She looked up and saw the terror in Clawhauser's eyes, she held her head up, half covered in mud, and slowly moved her lips. No sound came, but anyone with eyes could read the message that passed through them.

"I love you." She told him, and of all times, her gift gave her a vision.

She was a passenger in her own body, her future self. She saw, felt, experienced herself losing grip on the mud and free falling down a couple stories to plunder helplessly into the shallows. He body wracked with agony, bones shattering, a horn breaking. She was paralyzed but remained horribly conscious, completely in physical shock as the icy water lapped at her. She was trapped in herself at the edge of the merciless sea as the waves washed her, filling her chest and slowly drowning her. It wasn't quick, it would be minutes before either hypothermia or drowning had ended her time in the world.

She gasped as she came out of the vision, the horrible, relentless curse that showed her what her fate was about to be. It was too cruel that she would have to live it twice. She clenched her eyes and she cried for mercy, wishing to anyone who would listen, it was too much. She felt an odd sensation, and then the world stopped with the sudden suspension of all things in motion. She opened her eyes and saw she was isolated on a suspended piece of the ground she clung to for her life. The piece floated through what appeared to be a bright white fog, and there was nothing else to see nor hear. The serenity was unsettling after all that she had just experienced, and she dared not move. It appeared if she were to fall in this place, she would fall forever. She looked up beyond the island that held her, and within reach, was her mother.

"Mamá!" She spoke, crying out in her own voice. "Mamá! Please help me!"

"Don't be afraid, mi hija," She said calmly. "Look at how far you have come, how strong you have been, all of the love you have given..." Gazelle cried.

"Mamá! Mamá please!"

"It's ok…" She soothed her. Gazelle saw more figures beside her Mamá, and as they came into focus, she knew who the first two were. Beside her on the left was Chase Clawhauser, the detective looked upon her, and she could see that he was proud of her for making his son happy and honest. He felt honored to call her his daughter-in-law. It was remarkable how much Clawhauser looked like him, and in person the resemblance was uncanny. His partner, Piberius Wilde, stood dignified next to him. He placed a toothpick on his lip and tipped his sharp vintage hat to her. Chase nudged the fox with an elbow, and jubilantly pointed at her with approval. On the right, he saw an old sheep with long braided muttonchops. The wise crone stood straight and didn't hold a walking stick, but instead held the paw of a young red wavy-haired doe. Gazelle felt tremendous gratitude coming them for taking care of Bellwether, and ensuring she would recover. Lastly, besides them, she hardly recognized her, but a motherly white floppy-eared rabbit wearing a hotel laundress uniform was present. Gazelle could only think of her to be Hannah's mother. She looked so tired, but solemnly smiled for her, and she knew she was glad Hannah was well and wished she was able to see her as the adorable flower girl at the wedding.

Her Mamá held her paw out within her grasp, and Gazelle saw how easy it would be to reach forward and take it. She knew if she did, her soul would be taken, and her body would be left to suffer its fate. It would fall and she wouldn't be there to be left in anguish, it was the mercy she asked for. She felt that she would be taken to a place where her soul could heal, and once it did, she would try again.

"Mamá…" she cried softly. "...I'm so scared…" The great unknown rested in the palm of the paw extended to her, and she looked lovingly into her mamá's eyes, it would be ok. Gazelle lifted her paw carefully from the mud and reached forward.

Like bursting through smoke, Judy leaped through the vision and latched her paws around Gazelle's arm. The rain was pouring on everything, and the torrential motion of the world came back with a whirl.

"I GOT HER! PULL!" She screamed. Gazelle remained still as she was retrieved from what she thought to be certain death, and as reality came back to her that she was alive, that Judy had interrupted her terrible fate. She kicked her legs up to grip the solid ground. Clawhauser held the rope tied to Judy's leg, the same rope used to bind her was now saving her. Slowly but steadily, she was pulled along the muddy slope, back up to the cobble road, and Gazelle was at last brought to safety. Gazelle was in denial, thinking this was another cruelty from her curse, and she felt at her real face, and felt at Clawhauser's as he held her upright on her feet. She shook from the cold, burned out nerves, spent adrenaline, still she was completely astounded she was alive. She saw her captor, Mr. Hart, lying on the cobble, incapacitated and unconscious. As soon as there was a moment, he would be tossed into the town's only jail cell to answer for his crime. As the gratitude poured from Gazelle, she kissed at Clawhauser's face, leaving little blots of mud where she did, and in a calming wave as she held him tight, she fainted in his arms.

Through the eyes of Nick, she saw a farmhouse, and bunnies were everywhere. She didn't exactly recognize where she was until Hannah walked into the room. Nick sat up, chest aching, but ok. Hannah gave him his favorite green shirt, freshly washed and pressed. Pulling it loosely on, carefully, leaving it unbuttoned, he stood up and looked out of the single window. He saw across the yard at the farm, and spoke.

"Judy, I'm here."

Slowly, Gazelle woke up and felt the warm fire next to her. She was clean and dry, and still shocked that she was alive. She sat up quickly and saw Bellwether was standing next to her, wrapped in a blanket and looking much healthier, and her eyes much brighter without a fever. Gazelle was filled with joy that she was ok, she was happy everyone was ok, and more than glad she was able to help. Judy hopped up to her and hugged her, and she hugged back.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Judy relinquished her hold so Clawhauser could come in and give her a hug as well, and his was the warmest.

"I thought I was going to lose you." He said, and she was reminded of what she had seen. She wiggled loose and saw her notepad drying by the hearth. She grabbed it and the pen and wrote a note. She gave it to Judy, and her eyes illuminated with joy.

"Nick is at a farm." It read, and Judy knew where to go.

"Nick is at my parent's farm!" She confirmed. "We have to go!" Judy grabbed her coat and threw it on. "Bellwether, are you going to be ok here by yourself?" Bellwether stopped for a moment and shook her head.

"No, I'm coming with you." Clawhauser stepped in and expressed his concern for the sheep.

"If you go back, you'll be thrown back in prison…" Bellwether nodded, and she knew what her fate was.

"I've made my peace, and it's ok. I don't want to stay here anymore. This isn't my home anymore, and there are too many ghosts here." Gazelle thought it was an odd phrasing, and she knew that she would never be able to describe the experiences she's had. She wanted to leave as soon as she could as well. They were done here.

"Are you sure?" Judy asked, not wanting to lose her.

"I am." She confirmed. Gazelle sniffed her nose, and a tingle built up until she sneezed loudly.

"H-baSPWEEP!" She squeaked and was amazed such a sound came from her. Clawhauser roared with laughter.

"Goodness! You sneeze like a panda!" Gazelle laughed too, sniffling and squeaking with joy.

Finnick and Francine had a few minutes until they arrived at Happy Town. This was their last stop and Finnick was feeling he was running out of time with Francine. He really liked her, and certainly wanted to know more about her. He took a deep breath and forced his mind consider her as a friend, but not so close of a friend to excuse rudeness.

"So, uh… Why'd you join the fuzz?" He asked, hoping the slang term for it wasn't too brash. Francine scoffed once, and had a sour look on her face.

"I'm too big to be a paramedic." She complained. "I'm good at what I do, but… I don't know… it's just not fair. So I went to the police academy once they threw me aside. I couldn't keep myself away from the action, all I want to do is help people, y'know?" Finnick shared her sour look and knew how she felt.

"I'm too small for a lot of things. I'm a liability so I know how you feel." Francine looked down on the car seat where the microscopic fennec slumped. He looked up and caught her gaze and looked away. "I stay busy. Got some stuff to do here and there. Always trying to stay on top so I can feel… big." Francine reached and lightly nudged him with a hoof to make him smile.

"I think you're perfect just the way you are." He looked up, and for the first time, he felt ok about himself.

"Hey… thanks, babe."

They approached Gate 4 of Happy Town. This was their last stop and Finnick had talked to every fox he could find outside of it for any info. Wanting to be of service to Francine, he knocked at the metal door with the tip of his baseball bat.

"Tod! Tod, I know you're in there! Open the door!" He yelled. The little sliding window came open and Tod responded.

"No way bruh, I like this job and they said no exceptions."

"We have to know if Nick is in there!" Tod gave him a blank look and said nothing. He closed the little window and ignored the raging little fennec. "I know he's in there!" He yelled out before he gripped at his ears and groaned in frustration.

"This isn't going to work, we need a new plan." Francine stood before the wall and it only came up to her chin. If they played by the rules, they'd get nowhere, but she was tall enough to get Finnick over the structure. "Finnick, let me put you on the wall."

"Are you crazy?"

"If we do this quick, no one will see, c'mon!" Francine picked up the tiny fox and set him on top of the wall. He stepped carefully over to a pipe that ran down from the roof of a building and slid down it, safety landing on the other side.

"I'll see what I can find. Just stay here and-" there was a loud siren, a combination of several car horns blaring a long single note. Tod was doing his job too well and had pressed the button in the middle of a rigged steering wheel that served as the alarm. Finnick drew his baseball bat and was ready for a fight when Francine took a running leap at the wall. She kicked her legs up and over it, landing herself next to Finnick with a ground-shaking thump. Finnick regained his footing and remarked. "I thought elephants couldn't jump!?"

"Well that's a myth because I just did! Go find Nick, I'll distract them!" Three foxes emerged from the building with makeshift stunners and concern filled Finnick. It was all too well known that fox-made recycled stunners were overvolted, and they had their sights set on Francine.

"I'm not leaving you!" He called out. He stood to battle the foxes, but to his surprise, they ran around him, ignoring the unthreatening fennec, and fired their stunners at Francine. She was cornered when the electricity flowed from all three of the tethered electrodes and gave the elephant a powerful shock. She screamed and convulsed as her defiance had been compromised. Finnick was enraged, filled with immense ferocity, and he charged the three foxes as the elephant fell stunned sideways. He swung his bat and clocked the first one who didn't even see him coming, swiped the footing out from beneath the second and jabbed the bat to knock his breath out. The third tried to fight, dodging a swing but being kicked in the nose as Finnick threw his own weight at him, then was taken out with a blow to the back of the head. In a single motion, Finnick defeated all three. He dashed to Francine's face and shook her trunk. "Francine! Get up! We gotta move!" The elephant came to and sat up, shaking the voltage from her head. She saw the three foxes groaned in pain on the grassy road before them.

"You beat them up?" She asked, feeling that she had been defended despite that she wanted him to go on. She felt flattered. "Thank you, Finnick."

"I wasn't about to leave you, now let's move! There'll be more where they came from!" Francine got to her feet and picked the little fox up and sat him on her shoulder. He shared her height, and was exhilarated to be tall.

"Hold on!" She called out and with long strides, she quickly ran through the streets. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"Make a right!" He called out and she turned at the intersection, ducking a low street light and hopping over an old car. "Now left!" Finnick called out at the next junction and they went past a shop by the name of John Wilde's Tailors. "Another right!" He called out and they came to an apartment building. "Stop here!" Francine skidded to a stop on the grassy pavement, and found that she had attracted the attention of a white fox in the open second story window. Francine was catching her breath as Finnick yelled out. "Where's Nick!?" He cried and Snowy shook her head. Finnick saw someone on a bed in the office, and leaped at the open window, diving through it and crashing into the bookshelf on the opposite wall. He turned and saw Nick lying on the bed unconscious with a bandage on his chest. "Nick!" Finnick got up and went to his side. "Everything will be ok! Francine's here!" The elephant peered through the window and tried to see.

"Is he ok? I can't see!" Finnick grabbed the leg of the bunk bed and pulled it to the window with all of his strength. Francine pulled it the last little bit of distance with her trunk and saw the bandage. She was large enough to carry a full-size medical kit on her utility belt, she detached it and set it beside Nick. "I need to check his wound, Finnick if you could watch my back-"

"I'm on it." He grabbed his baseball bat and left out the door to stand guard outside. Francine delicately removed the bandage with her trunk, operating through the window the best she could.

"This is bad, these stitches are ok but he needs internal stitching to stabilize his condition." Snowy scooted up in the office chair and provided assistance.

"I've done my best with herbs to keep his pain under control, at most I can keep him asleep. I'm sorry about the stitches, I'm no doctor." Francine pulled out a glove for her trunk and another pair for Snowy.

"I am! He needs surgery now, are you ready for this?" Snow took a breath and nodded her head.

"Sure," she said as she snapped the latex gloves over her paws. "Let's do it."

Finnick kept an eye out for any more trouble, and wasn't surprised when some showed up. A small group of foxes approached and Finnick did his best to ward them off by brandishing how proficient he was with his baseball bat.

"Stay back!" He yelled to them. "Nick is undergoing surgery to save his life!" Some of the foxes lowered their weapons and muttered amongst themselves.

"Nick is in there!?" One of them asked.

"Yes, this elephant is a doctor! Just back off!" Another fox stepped forward away from the group and set down his weapon. He came to up to Finnick with his paws up, showing he meant no harm.

"Finnick, people are hunting for Nick, Judy, and Bellwether. There are vigilantes out there that want all three of them dead! He's in danger if he stays here!" Finnick looked up to Francine.

"Did you hear that? We've gotta move him!"

"I heard, we're almost done." She told him. Nick stirred in his sleep, and was beginning to come to. "Hold him down, almost done!" Francine told Snowy and she held his head in place. Nick spoke out.

"Hey... Francine… …that hurts…" whatever Snowy had used to keep him sedated was wearing off fast. He winced in pain and Francine searched through the medical kit for a shot.

"Nick, I'm going to give you a shot of morphine, you're gonna feel a prick."

"Compared to being stabbed… that sounds… awesome." Francine jabbed the quick-injector into his leg, and he felt its effect almost instantly.

"Ok, help me clean him up." Snowy carefully wiped away the remnants of the procedure from Nick's fur, and Francine had prepared a fresh bandage. She applied it carefully and finished the operation. Francine and Snowy propped him up and more bandaging was wrapped around his torso to secure everything. "We're done, let's get him mobile. Finnick! We need you up here!" The little fox rushed back up the stairs and braced Nick as he stood. Snowy wasn't much help now, but she did more of her fair share to help Francine successfully perform the surgery. Nick would be ok. Finnick looked up to the tall elephant and asked.

"Where are we going?" Nick was the one that answered.

"Judy's farm, Bunnyburrow…"

Nick groggily woke from the first painless slumber he's had in eleven days. He felt like ran-over rubber and really wanted a cup of coffee. It sounded good but also bad that he didn't want the morphine to wear off too much. He rested in Judy's old room, one of the few single bedrooms in the household, and he was surrounded by all of her childhood things. He missed her so dearly, and hadn't been able to communicate to her that he was now ok. He couldn't imagine what he would do without her, what she would do without him.

There was a light knock at the door, and Hannah had brought him his shirt, freshly pressed and clean. She left, feeling uneasy around Nick's injury, he thought it may have frightened her. In fact, it probably frightened everyone. He slipped his arms through the sleeves carefully and left it unbuttoned, putting no strain on his wound. He stood up and was a little wobbly, but took hold of the window frame and looked out across the yard of the farm.

"Judy, I'm here." He said aloud, hoping Mother Nature would pass on his message somehow. After a moment of reflection, a police car skid to a stop before the house, and chief Bogo came out. "Fantastic…" Nick spat sarcastically. He knew if Judy arrived with Bellwether, this wouldn't end well. He carefully exited the room and walked out onto the front porch of the house. Bogo was confronted by a hysterical Bonnie Hopps.

"Mrs. Hopps, I'm not here to help find your missing child, I'm here to see-" Bogo saw Nick leaning up against a post that held the roof of the porch. "Wilde!" he yelled as he approached. "Francine called in and we traced the phone to this location, so glad you're alive!"

"Well apparently getting stabbed is my one weakness." Nick's thoughts shifted, remembering he didn't want Judy to come and bring Bellwether, it wasn't safe as long as Bogo was present. Nick knew he'd stop at nothing to do his duty and make an arrest. Nick was about to reason with Bogo to leave, but Bonnie got in Bogo's face again.

"Please officer! There's been a mistake!"

Nick called out to her, wondering himself about her concern.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" The worried mother pulled on her ears.

"Hannah ran off a moment ago! She got into a fight with a boy at school today, and the mother is so angry, she called child protective services on me! She said I have been hurting her, then she called me to say a social worker was on their way and never let any of my kids hurt her kids again, oh this is bad! Really bad! She'll hide for days if we don't find her!" A number of her children came out and joined Nick on the porch. "Kids! Help find Hannah!"

"Again!? Ugh." One of them said and just turned around and went back inside the house. Nick knew this happened often but the situation was dire this time. If Bonnie couldn't provide the child when the social worker arrived, she could be in even bigger trouble, so Nick spoke up.

"Bonnie, go look! I'll stay here at the house in case she comes back. Chief, please help her look, I'm not going anywhere."

"Ring the bell when she's found!" She called out as she and Bogo went off in a direction. The children ran off on several different paths and thought this was a game. Nick stood on the steps and conserved his strength. He saw a car coming in the distance and thought to meet this social worker, at least he could smooth talk some more time for everyone to find Hannah. The car drove up and stopped abruptly as Nick approached, ready to work his magic. All four doors opened, and Bellwether, Clawhauser, Gazelle, and-

"Judy!" Nick cried out.

"Nick! You're ok!" Nick fell to his knees and Judy ran to him, landing in his open arms with tears streaming from her eyes. "Nick! I thought you were dead! I missed you so much! Let's quit the force together and live here and grow some nice safe carrots and get married and adopt like twenty kids and settle real hard for the rest of our lives! I love you, Nick! I love you! I love you…" the fox stopped moving, and for a moment it frightened her. "Nick?"

"I never want anyone to see that they get to me…" he looked to her, and she saw the tears fall from his eyes. "You got to me." He took an ear of his bunny and dried his tears into it, knowing she would take good care of him while he healed. She hugged him and all was right in the world, she was back in his arms where she belonged, and nothing in the world would ever separate these two again. "Ok, I'm still very tender." He reminded her. Judy's ears picked up yelling, and there was more commotion than normal. Rabbits and bunnies were running about, calling out Hannah's name.

"Where's Hannah?" Judy asked, not wanting to let go but did anyway while Nick filled her in.

"She beat up a kid and his mom called child services on your mom." Judy was enraged in a second. "Carrots, there's more. Bogo is here so you have to take Bellwether and run!" Bellwether stepped around Clawhauser and spoke up.

"It's ok. I'm going back to prison." Nick couldn't believe after all that had happened, nothing would be gained. He sighed and replied to the little sheep.

"Are you sure that's what you really want? I mean, I took a knife for you!" Bellwether nodded and leaned against the car to wait for Bogo to find her. She wouldn't run away, she would go peacefully with dignity. Judy began to delegate the search for Hannah.

"Gazelle, Clawhauser, check the woods, I'll check the fields!" Nick stepped up to Judy and told her.

"I'll watch the house."

"Ok Nick, I'll be back, I promise." Nick chuckled and poked fun at her.

"Remember last time I said that?" Judy looked angrily at him, and if looks could kill, their trials would've ended in vain right then. "What? Too soon? Ha! Too late…" Judy rolled her eyes at her dumb fox and ran off to search for Hannah. Bellwether noticed Gazelle was looking at something as she reluctantly followed Clawhauser. Bellwether matched her gaze and saw what she had looked at. Atop the barn was a cupola with a weathervane at its peak. Bellwether had guessed that if Hannah could climb onto the roof, she would be in there. She looked around and saw no one was near enough to hear her idea, so she took the chance to run off and search for a way onto the roof of the barn. Around one of the sides, she did find an incline of firewood that stacked up to the top of the attached carport. It was definitely climbable, Bellwether accepted the challenge and scaled the small logs. Once on top, she carefully stepped up the shingles to the peak, and quietly approached the cupola. On its sides, it had circular wooden vents, and when Bellwether pulled at the nearest one, it came loose to provide a way inside. She looked in, and the dim space was indeed occupied by one little white bunny. She was crying as she looked up, and was petrified.

"Please don't take me away." She said as she sobbed. Bellwether could've called out, announcing she had been found, but it didn't seem right, this little girl was hurting. Instead, Bellwether crawled inside, and pulled the vent back into place behind her. She joined Hannah in her secret hiding spot. "I don't want to go away." She said again.

"It's ok, dearie, I'm not here to take you." She told her.

"You're not?" Hannah asked.

"No, I want to hide too, if they find me, they'll take me away too." Hannah dried her tears and looked into Bellwether's eyes.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Dawn. What's yours?" Bellwether knew who she was but she was carefully building her trust. She could see the pain in her eyes from her strife, she was troubled and it shown.

"Hannah."

"Nice to meet you, Hannah." Bellwether said with a charming sweet smile. She extended her arm to shake her paw and Hannah noticed the deep scratches carved into it.

"Your arm… does it hurt?" Bellwether thought carefully, and replied honestly.

"No, not anymore. A very bad mammal did this to me, but it's ok." She said. Hannah was quiet for a moment and shifted to turn around, and pulled up the back of her shirt. Bellwether was shocked and abhorred by the terrible scars left by what could only be lashings. Hannah explained it as she let her shirt down.

"A very bad mammal did this to me, too." She said nervously. "The other kids make fun of me… it's why I got in a fight today, I was just so mad!" Bellwether was beginning to understand her, and she felt an incredible compassion for her.

"They don't understand, but they will once you tell them what happened." Hannah wiped the last tear from her eye and was unsure of herself.

"If the kids at school knew that my father hurt me, they'll make fun of me even more. I don't have a mommy to help me. No one wants to be my mommy, no one wants me..." She said and Bellwether finished.

"There will always be those who will help you, no matter what." A smile came over their faces, and Bellwether took the bunny's paw in her own. "Scars are nothing to be ashamed of, they are reminders of things we should forget." The light of understanding illuminated inside Hannah, and she felt better. "Now, would you like to come with me, out of this stuffy box?" Hannah smiled and Bellwether held her paw as they climbed out and down together.

Nick rang the bell loudly, summoning everyone back to the farmhouse. Bellwether walked with a smiling Hannah, and she knew that this little one would live her life to the fullest from then on. Bellwether was glad she could help, and as everyone converged on the house, happy that Hannah was home safe, Bellwether spoke one last time to her.

"Remember what I told you-" her words were cut short as chief Bogo yanked her from Hannah's grip and threw her to the ground. Bogo snorted over her and pulled out his handcuffs.

"Bellwether, you are under arrest." He clicked the cuffs and locked her paws behind her back. Hannah witnessed it and screamed for her.

"Dawn!" As she ran to the struggling sheep, she was caught halfway by the social worker. Bonnie was yelling for the rabbit lady in a suit to stop.

"You don't understand!" She cried out. "There's been a mistake!" The social worker wasn't giving anyone any doubt and was holding Hannah back from Bellwether.

"Dawn! No! Don't leave me!" She cried. Bogo's grip was too solid on Bellwether, and Hannah violently thrashed at the rabbit holding her back. From across the yard, Clawhauser roared out.

"Chief Bogo!" With his attention diverted, Clawhauser fired the Songbird once to tag the chief with electric yellow paint right in the chest. It shocked him off and his hold on Bellwether gave. She scrambled to her feet and ran towards Hannah. Judy drew her baton and it lit up beneath the social worker's chin.

"Let her go!" She commanded and the social worker put her paws in the air. Hannah dashed for Bellwether, and they caught each other in the middle. Bellwether fell to her knees and let Hannah wrap her arms around her. Hannah cried, sobbing for her, in a short amount of time, Bellwether gained her trust and understood her like no one had before. They had bonded, and then Hannah said it.

"Dawn... I want you to be my mommy..." Everyone stopped as they heard it, and couldn't believe their ears. Bellwether froze as well, and the hole in her heart that she once filled with spite, vengeance, and whatever she could find to rectify the injustices she dealt with throughout her life, was filled by Hannah. She made her whole, and her spirit ascended by the very nature of love. Bellwether wept, she wept for the child that chose her, and would love her unconditionally. Bellwether had forfeit her life, but now she had been given something so precious, given a second chance, and she wanted to keep fighting.

"Uncuff me so I can hold my daughter." Bellwether demanded through the tears and the overwhelming new emotions. Everyone encircled them and would protect them from any more harm, and Bogo and the social worker were very outnumbered. The chief rose wearily to his feet and came forward with the key to the handcuffs, and unlocked them. Bellwether wrapped herself around Hannah, cried over the bunny's shoulder, for her and herself, while compassion filled her. The social worker then came forward and held out a paper from her briefcase.

"I don't want that!" Bellwether growled. Judy snatched the paper and looked at it.

"It's an adoption form."

"Oh, I do want that." She took it, and hugged Hannah tight again, letting her little girl dry her tears in her muttonchops, and then Hannah spoke sweetly to her mother.

"Soft…"

It was the last day Bogo had given everyone to relax from the dilemma that they all endured, rounding their recovery period to two weeks. Nick wanted to return sooner but Judy was given explicit orders to make sure Nick had plenty of rest. Bogo held a press conference to inform Zootopia that Nick and Judy had been found and are well, and the situation concerning Bellwether had been 'resolved'. With no specific details, he left it to the citizens' imaginations to fill in the blanks, and over time, no one cared. Bellwether was reappointed to house arrest after a lot of paperwork and pulled strings, and her sentence was community service in Bunnyburrow. The ankle bracelet was never attached to her, it just sits in its box in Judy's old room and was never seen again. Bellwether helped out around the farm, and she liked it. It connected her to what was real, tangible, and she made small but important contributions to the world around her.

Judy was walking through the small woods that was left untouched to serve as a windbreak for the crops, but in the last couple weeks, it had been repurposed. She came upon the clearing and saw Nick and Hannah sitting before a small stone in a cool patch of grass. The stone had only two prints on it, and Judy walked up to a pie tin of green paint and added her own by the fox print. She sat next to Hannah, and pulled a silver leaf from her pocket. She held it up for her to see, it spun and glimmered in the light of the woods, and then she read the name inscribed on it, 'Bellwether'. Hannah smiled widely and let Judy latch it around her neck, letting it rest on its new home above her heart. Judy smiled and commented.

"So I guess it's official now."

"Thank you, aunt Judy!" Hannah hugged her, looked at the leaf, studied its form, and cherished its meaning. Someone else entered the woods and called for her.

"Hannah? Dearie, are you back here?" Bellwether came to the clearing.

"I'm here, mommy!" Hannah replied. Bellwether wore a tan apron and a cap on her head, and was blotted all over her attire, she looked like she lost a fight with a can of yellow paint. Judy giggled at the messy sheep.

"Did you paint the house or did the house paint you?" Bellwether smiled, plucking bits of dried paint out of her wool.

"It took me all day, but yes, it's done! Want to see?" Hannah took off running down the trail and Bellwether followed. Judy tugged on Nick's tail.

"C'mon Stitches, let's go tell them the good news." Nick slowly stood up and turned around, and his bandages were still on his chest, but his own tattered leaf was displayed proudly around his neck. He palmed it and reflected on its worn state.

"I'm glad you gave this back, I guess for all these years, it really was lucky. I give it to you and this happens." He pointed at his injury with distaste.

"Thanks for sharing some of that luck, it came in handy." Judy said. She took his paw, and they walked together down the trail back to the farm. She was curious and couldn't help but ask. "What did you ask Mother Nature for?"

"I favored for you." He said with a smile.

Judy and Nick strolled to the new little house built by the Hopps family. It was a joyful shade of yellow. The paint was perfect and Bellwether was proud of the work she put into it.

"Whoever lives here will certainly be happy." She was delighted and Judy nodded. Nick chuckled and just had to say.

"You missed a spot." And pointed to a random area. Bellwether was surprised and ran off to investigate, but saw nothing of the sort.

"I did not!" She yelled back peeved. Nick laughed and Judy elbowed him softly to stop him from teasing her. They went inside to the kitchen, the new space was filled with potential and possibilities, and the rabbits had a thing for nice round architecture. Nick was the first to notice.

"Where'd Hannah run off to?" Bellwether put a finger to her lip.

"Oh, I think she's hiding somewhere around… here." She kicked the cupboard door open beneath the sink, and below it sat the little white bunny.

"Awwww..." Hannah was disappointed she couldn't hide from her mother. Judy giggled and remarked.

"I think the hide-and-seek champion has met her match." Hannah crawled out and hugged Bellwether. "So I guess I can spill the beans now." Judy paused for dramatic flair. "This house is yours!" Bellwether lit up, and Hannah squealed with so much delight that she bounced up and down. "Since you'll be here a while, we thought we should make a home for your family." Bellwether was so overwhelmed, she cried.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. "It's so much more than I could've ever imagined." Judy held her paw and nodded.

"We can at least try to make the world a better place." Bellwether stopped Hannah as she ran from room to room, exploring every nook and cranny of her new home. Bellwether was just as giddy.

"Oh-ho-ho, I'm going to bake so many cookies!" She giggled, and noticed the time on the carrot shaped clock on the wall. "Hannah dearie, wash up for dinner!" Hannah went to the washroom and Judy noticed Nick's bandages.

"Hey Nick, your wrapping is coming off." He noticed the tape wasn't staying on and so he peeled it off. Stripping the binding, all that was left was the main pad that was placed over the wound itself. He carefully removed to exposed the tender scar beneath it.

"How does it look?" He asked. Judy could not hold her laughter and burst out. "What? What's so funny?" Nick looked at the scar and Judy told him.

"It looks like a carrot!" Bellwether laughed too, agreeing with her.

"It really does." Nick looked down the best he could at it and tried to deny what it looked like.

"No it doesn't you guys are full of… well… it sorta does but when the fur grows back it won't look like one! C'mon!" Judy and Bellwether laughed at Nick's expense as he buttoned his shirt closed and hid the mark from the world.

Everyone attended the final dinner at the grand table for all of the Hopps family and friends. Hannah sat quietly as the bunnies bustled in rowdy commotion around her. The noise no longer bothered her, she loved the family that was given to her. They were all there, aunt Judy and Gazelle, uncle Nick and Clawhauser, and of course her mother, Dawn Bellwether. Hannah grabbed a bunch of vegetables from a platter as the rest of her family and the kids talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Hannah took a plump strawberry from the platter of fruit and sat it on her plate. Bellwether grabbed a whole lot and Hannah was appalled when she took so many. Bellwether saw Hannah only had one so she grabbed half of her pile and plopped them down on her daughter's plate. Bellwether found out quickly that they both had a taste for strawberries in common. Hannah leaned her head on Bellwether, happily feeling a little tired already in the early evening, though she slept well lately in the company of her mother. Bellwether reached her arm around and gently rubbed Hannah's back. The loving gesture was soothing, and she often did it to help her sleep at night. Bellwether's motherly reassurance told her that despite her back was scarred and ugly, it was ok, and she was beautiful. She was deeply loved no matter what she thought of herself. When the children made fun of the scars, Hannah told them about what happened and most found it wasn't really that funny. Hannah bested them with the truth, and despite being an awful truth, she gained some friends that chose to understand and see beyond what was only skin deep.

"Hannah?" Clawhauser called out. "What's your answer?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." She said, worried someone would say she had cotton in her ears.

"That's ok. Just asking everyone what they want to be when they grow up, because in Zootopia, anyone can be anything." Hannah paused and thought of her answer.

"If anyone really can be anything, I want to be…

...happy."

Epilogue

Clawhauser pinned a new photograph on their wall of memories. The board was beginning to run out of space after seventeen of the best years of his life. He stretched his aching back after the long day, and the clock on the wall read nearly midnight. He started this journey on the left side of the board with pictures of his father and the original squad he was a part of at ZPD precinct one. Below it was the restored photo of the young Gazelle and her parents, clear and resisting its age as it rested safely among the other photos. A young Hannah shortly after Bellwether took her into her heart, or was it Hannah that took in Bellwether? Hannah spent time away from Bunnyburrow every summer, and the first summer after that fall and winter, she spent it with her aunt Judy.

Judy learned to fence from Nick's mother and her boyfriend, Robert, and Hannah was interested in joining the lessons to learn for herself. It was a respectable discipline, and she learned the valuable truth that all skills take time and patience, and over time, one always improves if one never gives up. Nick spent time with Hannah as well, taking her on a ride along and was shown the skill of how to read people with easy ways to memorize things. It was difficult at first, her being so young, but spending time in Happy Town provided much insight. Silvia Fawkes never returned to any law firm, but with Bellwether's help, she was able to gain a seat at city hall and push for the restoration of Happy Town. There was little to work with, but she found a loophole. Just so happens that the Hopps family was a big one, and the name was on the wall. With the help of a thousand extra paws and feet, the long process to restore Happy Town had begun, and it didn't look like it would slow down until the district had returned to its former vintage luster. Hannah was happy to help, and the foxes didn't care that she was a Bellwether. With business booming, the bordering walls torn down, the people of Zootopia saw how well crafted fox-products were, and money flowed into Happy Town again. In a short two years, Snowy could afford to walk again, and did.

There was a photo of when Hannah won best of show in a science fair. Her mother was a fantastic teacher and could keep up with her level of intelligence. She had excelled in math and physics, but still couldn't find the answer to why the corona was hotter than the sun. Her mother filled in that blank, casually answering during the commercials of a show they were watching about exotic fish, that gases burn hotter than plasma in the vacuum of space. She had such an insatiable appetite for all things in space, and she often stayed up all night to watch the meteors, looking through the telescope, and charting the cosmos' constellations with her mother.

There was a summer spent with Clawhauser and Gazelle along the lane of memories. Hannah was older and blooming into a fine young lady. She humored Gazelle by never speaking and writing in her notepad to speak with her. The entire notepad was pinned to the board, and it perfectly recalled the conversations. It was Clawhauser's favorite piece on the wall. He flipped it open to a particular note, the one from the end of the day when he taught Hannah how to shoot. She was a fine shot, and had excellent eyesight for it. Like her fencing, it was a discipline and she cared for it like his father had taught him. The final lesson was to take a hit herself and understand the responsibility of such a weapon. She stood at eighty feet and Clawhauser could barely pull the trigger. Gazelle was steaming mad at him, and he wished he never had despite the importance of the lesson.

Hannah graduated high school and went to a great college with a science scholarship for her academic achievements. A photo showed Hannah as happy as she could be holding her diploma, and the photo next it was her and her degree from the university, even happier. She then moved on to aeronautics, and her work landed her a rare position among history. The space program had recognized her talents and research, and signed her on to join the team. Everyone couldn't be more proud, and everyone was present to see her off to go live closer to the cape and the launch sites. Her work continued, and tomorrow was the big day. The photograph he just pinned to the wall was of the launch crew, each in their suit of the color of their choosing, and down in front of a wolf and a leopard was a little white bunny in her white and magenta striped suit. She would be the first bunny in space, among one of the few to ever go there.

Clawhauser smiled, his life enriched by his family and friends, and stepped back to take in the whole wall. He was surprised Nick and Judy never got married, though they were already married in spirit despite policies of liability, and they continued working at ZPD on active duty. Judy declined the offer to become chief when Bogo retired, she declined solely on the principle that it would separate her from her partner, the sly fox, Nick Wilde. A new chief was enlisted in, some big brown bear, and Nick just couldn't help but push his buttons whenever he could. The cases were many, and days were challenging, but Clawhauser knew that there was absolutely nothing that those two couldn't overcome. They made the world a better place, one case at a time. The tiger dancers were all apprehended and served jail time for their vandalism, Fangmeyer was sent to prison for attempted murder, and Mr. Hart regained some of his vision, and lives with his sister while he adapts to his condition. Constable Racka was kind to help him arrive safely with a vial of medicine at his sister's home in Animberg.

There were photos of Francine and Finnick too when their relationship was young. They really took a liking to each other, and Finnick moved out of Nick's place and into Francine's. There was plenty of room for him there, and with the vacancy at Nick's, Judy moved in. Finnick had married as well, but Clawhauser didn't have a photo for it yet, it happened so fast. Francine was still on the force, and Finnick became the next 'Piberius Wilde' if there ever were to be another. He worked on the fringe to help crack some of the greatest cases over the years. He had the guts, skills, and the connections to do it very well.

His favorite pictures were the ones he always kept at the center of the wall. At the end of each summer, they all gathered on the ridge outside of Zootopia, and spent the afternoon on the overlook having a grand picnic. Enjoying each other's company, catching up, and sitting just beyond the reach of the city for a moment to breathe, relax, and remember the love they have for one another.

Last, but certainly not the least, was the memory of the place he and Gazelle now occupied. This was his happiest, and it warmed him to remember it before bed each night. Once Nick had recovered from his wounds and they all returned to Zootopia, Clawhauser and Gazelle were met with an unhappy ending. He tried to rejoin the police force but Bogo had half the mind to lock him up for stunning him. If he didn't have the shared compassion for Hannah at the time, he easily could have. His old apartment was still destroyed and there was little to recover from it. Everything was gone, and with no job, no income, everything was worse. He and Gazelle lived out of their cars for a while as either of them tried to find work, but with the changing times, pickings were slim. Gazelle slipped into a depression that haunted her, and she felt like such a burden on the cheetah, but he never stopped reminding her how much he loved her, and he would never leave her despite how she blames herself for losing their home. Gazelle tried applying to anywhere she could, and wished terribly she still had her guitar, but it was burned to ashes and she would never feel the music in her paws ever again. The cold winter rolled in and they did their best to stay warm. Gazelle had gotten sick and after the illness that plagued them from their time in Olannglas, Clawhauser took every precaution, spared no effort to keep his Gazelle warm during the winter. She got well again just in time for Valentine's Day.

Gazelle borrowed twenty dollars from Judy and wanted to treat her husband to a slice of cake from Bridgette's Breads, but upon arriving, the bakery was closed. Gazelle knocked at the door and Pan had greeted them to describe that he and Maeveen were retiring from the business after so many years. They had grown weary together and were beginning to have trouble maintaining the little bakery. Clawhauser offered to help out, and for a time, he did until Pan gave him the keys to keep the business alive. Clawhauser and Gazelle would become the new couple to inherit the shop. Pan and Maeveen taught them everything they knew, and it was time for Clawhauser to fill his own shoes for a change, out from beneath the shadow of his father and no longer under the thumb of Chief Bogo. He learned to bake and was passionate about it, and in no time, his donuts and pastries were the choice of Zootopia. Always by his side was the ever silent Gazelle. She had continued her painting once they were back on their feet, and she decorated the parlor with her works wherever they would fit. When she felt someone had a connection to a painting, she would give it to them, free of charge. She still had her intuition, but the frightful visions stopped, and she mostly saw subtle things. Daily meditation considerably helped put her mind at ease.

The clock chimed as it struck midnight, and it was time to close the shop. Clawhauser walked down the stairs from the loft apartment above to the parlor below. He saw Gazelle sitting at a table with a llama that looked like he had trouble with his date. The llama ate his complimentary muffin with gratitude, and Clawhauser chuckled as he entered from the back.

"You tell that story to all the lonely hearts that come in." She turned, her grown long curly braided hair falling past her knees, and as she swiped the strands from her face, she winked. Clawhauser replied. "Yeah I know. That's why we stay open so late." The llama thanked them for their generosity and advice, and left through the door with a chime from its bell. Clawhauser flipped the sign on the door to say they were closed for the day until tomorrow and locked it. Gazelle came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She pulled his head around and placed her soft lips on his, and embraced him in a kiss that always kept the hearth of their love burning for each other. "I love you too, my angel with horns."

The news was coming on the TV and as Clawhauser was about to turn it off, he noticed a particular white bunny had made the headlines. "Hey darling, look at this." He turned the volume up with the remote and they watched as the launch crew posed for pictures and shook the paws of officials. Hannah was interrupted when a little old sheep hugged her proudly and Hannah hugged back. Bellwether's age was beginning to show. They often forgot how much older she was than the rest of them. She began to braid her muttonchops as soon as her wool had lost its youthful softness and grew wiry, her glasses were thicker than before, and her ears, nose, and eyes were becoming wrinkly with time. At least the wrinkles were formed out of years of happy expressions, and she always looked like a smile had been chiseled into her cheeks. Gazelle noticed how much she looked like her Baba, she would never forget her face, and after having the opportunity to read Bellwether's letters, she'd never forget her message. The news story advanced to some local coverage and Clawhauser turned off the TV. Gazelle yawned and took his paw, silently telling him to come to bed with her, and meaning there would be no other mammal in Zootopia she'd rather be with. He was her one in a million, her sweepstakes winner, her Benjamin.


End file.
